After re-opening its municipal office on June 24, Zeballos announced that most of its recreational sites will remain closed and has asked visitors to postpone their visit to the village.
Though B.C. entered phase 3 of the restart plan, Zeballos will continue to remain cautious, said chief administrative officer, Meredith Starkey.
Among village facilities that remain closed to the public are the museum, library playground and ball park.
The Cevallos Campsite and Zeballos RV park will also remain closed.
After monitoring the situation further, the village will re-evaluate the decision to reopen these facilities at the next council meeting on Jul 14, said Starkey.
“We’re lagging two weeks behind the province in terms of opening up but the council is being cautious since we are a small community with limited resources,” said Starkey. The delay will give them time to observe and see how the rest of the province is faring under phase 3.
Lodges and local businesses in Zeballos are open and visitors have begun coming to the village. But Starkey said that the numbers are far less compared to the visitors they usually see during summer.
Based along the west coast of Vancouver Island, the remote community sees visitors from all over the world who come to Zeballos for sport fishing, kayaking and other recreational activities.
This year, tourism and the economy that came along with it has taken a severe hit owing to COVID and border closure with the US.
READ ALSO: Remote Vancouver Island village reminds visitors to stay away during long weekend
READ ALSO: Zeballos doesn’t expect to feel the pinch of COVID-19 restrictions until tourist season