COVID-19 Updates

Apr 8, 2020

Updated 3 p.m.

The Provincial Health Officer has ordered the closure of a number of facilities and some types of businesses to manage the spread of COVID-19. The District of West Vancouver continues to provide essential services while implementing additional closures and changes in municipal processes to facilitate physical distancing and following the advice of health authorities to stay home whenever possible.

Please do your part. Stay home whenever possible. Respect closures. When out in public, always maintain two meters of personal space between yourself and the next person.

PARK RANGERS TO PROMOTE PHYSICAL DISTANCING

On Thursday, April 9, the District is launching a Park Ranger program to ensure people are getting the message about physical distancing while they are enjoying the outdoors.

Park Rangers will be monitoring physical distancing compliance and using a two-metre prop to demonstrate the amount of space that people must stay apart.

They will work with Bylaw Officers to advise people who are parking illegally that they will be ticketed and possibly towed. Learn more.

Seawalk closed for one day on Wednesday, April 15 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The District is implementing separated lanes to accommodate physical distancing as required by the Provincial Health Officer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lanes will separate eastbound traffic from westbound traffic with a six-foot-wide space. Details.

CLOSED

Facilities

Municipal Hall (District staff will continue providing the same essential services by phone or email. Contact us.)
West Vancouver Community Centre
Gleneagles Community Centre
West Vancouver Memorial Library
Seniors’ Activity Centre (except take-out food service available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily)
Aquatic Centre
Ice Arena
Gleneagles Golf Course
Clubhouse at Gleneagles Golf Course
Ambleside Par 3 Golf Course
Ferry Building Gallery
West Vancouver Art Museum
Music Box
Silk Purse Studio & Gallery
West Vancouver Youth Hub at Park Royal

Recreation

The Seawalk will be closed for one day, Wednesday, April 15, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. No public access will be permitted during this period. The District is implementing separated lanes to accommodate physical distancing. Details.

playgrounds
basketball courts
skate parks
tennis courts
parking lots at Whytecliff Park, Lighthouse Park and Whyte Lake Park
parking lots at Gleneagles Golf Course and Gleneagles Community Centre

Businesses

personal service establishments such as salons and spas were ordered by the Provincial Health Officer to close
restaurants can only provide take-out or delivery
the order banning groups of more than 50 people does not apply to construction sites as a whole. The province has clarified how construction sites should operate.

Information and resources for businesses

Outdoor spaces

Trails, parks, dog parks, beaches and the Seawalk remain open at this time. The following parking lots are closed:

Whytecliff Park
Lighthouse Park
Whyte Lake Park
Gleneagles Golf Course and Gleneagles Community Centre

If you choose to go out:

keep a distance of at least 2 metres (6 feet) from others
avoid a public space if it is too crowded to maintain that distance
do not congregate in groups and do not ignore the advice of health officials

OPEN BUT WITH LIMITED PUBLIC ACCESS

West Vancouver Police Department (modified public access)
All Fire Halls (Fire Hall #1, 2, 3 and 4) (no public access)
Operations Centre at Cypress Bowl Road (staff and deliveries only)
Capilano View Cemetery (appointment required)

Council Meetings

On March 30, Council cancelled all regularly scheduled council meetings until the end of June, with the exception of April 20 and May 4 meetings. Council may call special meetings to deal with emergent business as required.

Watch Council meetings online

CANCELLATIONS

Community Services spring term cancelled
In order to protect the health and safety of our community, customers and staff, the District of West Vancouver has cancelled the 2020 spring term. This decision is aligned with the recommendations from the Provincial Health Officer of British Columbia to lower the risk of exposure and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community. The spring term cancellation includes all programs, events, rentals and services between the end of March and the end of June at all District of West Vancouver community recreation and cultural facilities. Read more.

Bridge Festival cancelled
At this time, the Provincial Health Officer of British Columbia has issued an order prohibiting the gathering of more than 50 people until May 30, 2020. Even without this order, proper social distancing measures would be difficult to implement and maintain at a festival.

After careful consideration, we do not feel that these challenging and unprecedented conditions will have changed significantly by early June, and so the District of West Vancouver has cancelled the 2020 Bridge Festival, scheduled for June 5 and 6.

Community engagement on hold
In response to the provincial ban on mass gatherings, and to preserve the legitimacy of our engagement processes, the District is also postponing all in-person public engagement on District initiatives and development applications until further notice. Further measures will be considered regarding public meetings, public gatherings and public facilities, as the need arises.

See March 15, 2020 Media Release

See March 13, 2020, Media release

KEEPING CONNECTED

The Seniors' Activity Centre and West Vancouver Memorial Library have launched programs to support community members in this time of social distancing.

Call the Seniors' Activity Centre at 604-925-7280 for information and assistance. Read more.
See the Library's Keeping Connected page.

Garbage collection

There is no change to curbside garbage, recycling or green bin collection due to COVID-19. Please set out by 7:30 a.m. on your regularly scheduled collection date.

To help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect our waste collection staff:

please ensure that all personal hygiene products, used tissues, cleaning cloths, face masks, gloves, and similar items are disposed of in garbage bags.
securely tie garbage bags. Un-bagged or loose items will not be collected.

Crews are taking extra precautions and will not be sorting through garbage or recycling at the curb.

Need replacement recycling bags, blue boxes or grey boxes? Need extra garbage tags? Learn more about delivery.

Blue Bus

We are experiencing staff shortages as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. West Vancouver Transit is committed to maintaining service levels as much as we can during these challenging times. This may include reallocating the resources we have to priority services. This may entail reducing the frequency of service on some routes.

Transit riders are being asked to board buses using the rear doors only to maintain physical distancing. Learn more about this and other changes to Blue Bus and TransLink services here.

View bus schedule updates

BC FERRIES

Effective Friday, April 3, BC Ferries is adjusting service levels across multiple routes for the next 60 days to protect the health and safety of communities and ferry workers and better match ferry service to current demand. Learn more.

CHANGES TO DELIVERIES IN COMMERCIAL AREAS

The Province, under the Emergency Program Act, has taken steps to ensure the supply of essential products is secure. In West Vancouver, this means trucks can make deliveries to grocery stores 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. If you live near a commercial area, you will probably notice deliveries at unusual hours. Now you know why. Learn more on the BC Government website.

What businesses should do

The District of West Vancouver is following the guidance of our local, provincial and federal health authorities—and encourages the business community to do the same. With the rapidly changing nature of COVID-19, information and advice from Canada’s Public Health Authority (PHA) can change quickly.

Information and resources for businesses

Mayor's Update: Support Local Businesses

WHAT you SHOULD DO

To prevent the spread of Coronavirus and protect your health, and the health of those around you, please:

Stay home if you are sick
If you think you may have symptoms of coronavirus, call 8-1-1 for an assessment
Good hygiene: Wash hands with soap and water, cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing (such as coughing into your elbow or using a tissue)
Avoid touching your face, especially your mouth, nose and eyes.
Masks are not recommended as protection: Surgical masks are not designed to protect the wearer from becoming sick. They may cause you to touch your face more often, which may be worse than not wearing a mask.‎

Mayors' Letter to the Community: March 27, 2020

Mayor's Update: March 17, 2020

Mayor's Update: March 10, 2020