Stay put, officials urge adventure seekers

Despite repeated warnings from public health authorities to stick close to home and avoid travel between regions, officials in western Quebec and eastern Ontario say many are still ignoring the rules.

Pontiac Mayor Joanne Labadie said hikers, skiers and snowshoers from Ottawa and Gatineau continue to explore trails in her area, even with both provinces underlockdown.

"They come in large groups," Labadie said by phone. "What I see is they're not wearing masks, they're not social distancing, they're coming in multiple cars ...and then heading out to the great outdoors."

What we're saying is, if you don't have to travel for essential reasons, please stay home.- Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, EOHU

Ontario and Quebec residents arecurrently being advised to stay close to home unless it's essential.

People seeking fresh air and exercise are supposed to find it within their own communities in their family bubbles.

Nevertheless, Labadie said she still sees rows of parked cars near localtrailheads, and they don't all belong to locals.

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Labadieis concerned thevisitors could be spreading the virus among themselves, thinking they're safe because they're outside.

"Certain trails like Luskville Falls, there are areas where it's almost impossible to social distance," she said.

The National Capital Commission (NCC) said Tuesdayit's difficult to count how many people are using Gatineau Park because it has so many entrances, but said the park has been well used this winter.

"We note that the Park has been very busy every day especially on weekends based on our most popular parking lots being almost or completely full," the NCC said in a statement.

Last month, the NCC said it hadsold a record number of seasonpasses to the park this year.

Better communication needed

In the area covered by the Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU), where COVID-19 rates have beenon the rise,the region's medical officer of healthis calling for bettercommunication about the risks of travel.

Dr. Paul Roumeliotissaid that could even includebillboards near bridges to remind would-be day trippers to stay put.

"Signage, messaging to discourage people from doing it is, I think, the best way to go," he said. "We want to keep people as least mobile as possible, because we know that intermixing with people just increases the virus's chance of spreading."

While Roumeliotis believes the shutdowns in Ontario and Quebec havehelped cut down on interprovincial travel, he still worries about travel within eastern Ontario, such as people from his region taking unnecessary shopping trips to Ottawa.

"What we're saying is, if you don't have to travel for essential reasons, please stay home," Roumeliotis said. "We have the new [coronavirus] variant in Ottawaand we don't want it to spread, so that's another reason that we should be extra careful."

Labadiesaid she understands theurge to get away, andsaid she feels for people who live in apartments or condosin dense areas of Ottawa and Gatineau. But for anyonewith cabin fever, she has a simple message be smart, and wear a mask.

"It's striking the right balance, and I think if everybody does the right thingand practises all the proper protocols, then we should be OK," she said. "It's just that what I'm witnessing is that people are not."