Visitor services in national parks and historic sites in Canada will close tomorrow.
Prime minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement this morning (Tuesday, March 17) as part of a coronavirus update.
"One of the things we're doing to flatten the curve is Parks Canada is suspending visitor services in all national parks and historic sites," said Trudeau.
"What that means is, pretty much anything with a door will be closed."
Update @ 3.10pm: What that really means, according to a new media release from Parks Canada, is visitor facilities will be closed temporarily, including washrooms and day use facilities.聽
Parks Canada will limit its activities to basic critical operations and many staff will work from home. Some conservation activities will also be temporarily suspended, including projects with external researchers.
鈥淎t this critical time, our top priority remains the health and safety of Canadians," said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada.
"We are doing everything we can to contain the novel coronavirus and reduce the burden on our healthcare system.
"We all look forward to resuming normal operations at Parks Canada places, but for now we must follow the advice of public health experts and work together to limit the spread of COVID-19.鈥�
While visitor services are temporarily suspended, Parks Canada will continue to deliver a number of critical functions, including highway management and snow removal, fire response and avalanche forecasting and control.
Visitors may use front country and backcountry areas as well as accessible green spaces.
But, Parks warned, search and rescue services may be limited.
"Visitors should exercise additional caution at this time and avoid activities with safety risks," the statement said.
Should Canadians decide to visit, they should remember that they are always responsible for their own safety. They should consult Parks Canada鈥檚 website to be prepared for their visit and be aware of any area closures. Search and rescue services may be limited.
Parks Canada said the tourism businesses and operations that provide important services to visitors may continue to operate and clients should check with them before visiting to ensure that there has been no change to their services.
Parks Canada will not take new reservations until April 30, 2020 and all existing reservations for this period will be refunded in full.
VIA Rail cancels all Jasper trains
VIA Rail has cancelled its passenger trains that run through Jasper.
The Canadian, that runs from Toronto to Vancouver and vice versa, has been cancelled until March 27.
And the Jasper to Prince George and Prince Rupert train has been cancelled until March 31.
VIA made the announcement March 13.
"This exceptional preventive measure was made to help minimize the risk of contamination to the best of our ability. The government鈥檚 recommendations on social distancing and travel limitations is in line with our Illness Control Plan, which is focused on the health and safety of our passengers and employees," said Cynthia Garneau, President and CEO.
鈥淚 apologize for any inconvenience this difficult decision has caused our customers and employees and thank them for their understanding and patience."
Trudeau urges Canadians to stay home
During his press conference this morning, Trudeau urged Canadians to "lighten the load" of the country's healthcare workers by practising social distancing and not gathering in groups of more than 50 people.
"Our doctors and nurses need your help, your neighbours need your help, vulnerable people in your community need your help," said Trudeau.
"As much as possible, stay home. Don't go out unless you absolutely have to."
The recommendation comes as Ontario has declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19. All bars and restaurants have been ordered to close, but they can still sell food items through take-out or delivery.
As of Tuesday morning, there are more than 400 cases of the coronavirus in Canada, with cases in every province.
