BC Ferry vessel held at harbour after passenger refused to mask up
Posted December 12, 2021 4:48 pm.
Last Updated December 13, 2021 5:38 am.
A BC Ferries vessel was held on the Sunshine Coast over the weekend after a passenger refused to comply with the mandatory mask-wearing policy.
According to BC Ferries, the Queen of Surrey was delayed for nearly an hour at the Langdale terminal on Sunday as a result of the incident.
Deborah Marshall, Executive Director of Public Affairs for BC Ferries, says those who don’t want to wear a mask aren’t welcome aboard.
#ServiceNotice #HorseshoeBay – #Langdale #QueenofSurrey is currently operating 50 minutes behind schedule due to a police incident. We appreciate your patience in this matter. Full details here: https://t.co/8CowsfAirK ^ajb
— BC Ferries | Reconnecting BC (@BCFerries) December 13, 2021
“We did call the Sechelt RCMP, they came down to attend, and the customers decided they wanted to comply because they wanted to travel,” Marshall said.
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Marshall apologized for any inconvenience the delay may have caused, and thanked customers for being patient during such a challenging time for public transportation.
“It’s not a regular occurrence. I would say that 99 per cent of our customers do understand that we have a mandatory mask policy, and certainly most customers do comply. We do get customers who refuse, and it is our policy, so we have to call police on the rare occasions when these things happen,” she said.
“And we’re very happy about cooperation from the police in this jurisdiction.”
Masks remain mandatory under provincial health orders, regardless of vaccination status, and those who refuse to wear one could face a $230 fine.
