Premier John Horgan says there are no plans to delay spring break at schools across British Columbia.

“When it comes to school-aged children, we’re trying to keep a sense of normalcy,” he said, during a media briefing today. “When spring break arrives, our advice will be, as it has been for months and months and months – stay close to home. Try and stay within known bubbles. Don’t go engaging in reckless behaviour. Do your level best to stay safe and keep other people safe around you.”

Students in Kamloops and across the province are scheduled to be on spring break from March 13 until March 21.

As for travelling over spring break, Horgan says he wants other Canadians to know they’re not welcome in British Columbia until the pandemic has subsided.

“We will welcome you when the pandemic has subsided, but you’re not welcome today. It pains me to say that, but the best course of action is for people to stay where they are,” he said. “That’s what I’m asking British Columbians to do and I hope that the premiers of other provinces will say the same thing to their citizens.”

“If you don’t have to travel, don’t travel. That holds firm well through spring break.”

The province has not imposed any additional rules for inter-provincial travel though it has been discouraging non-essential travel since November after some restrictions were eased last summer.

“I know people in other jurisdictions who don’t have the same opportunities for good weather as we do here in B.C. are worried about what will happen at spring break when people in, say, Quebec and Ontario, normally would migrate in large numbers to Florida and South Carolina,” Horgan said.

“We don’t have that concern here. People will probably be pretty happy to stay in B.C., and take advantage of the many opportunities they have here.”

Heading into the Family Day weekend and Lunar New Year this Friday, Horgan is calling on British Columbians to ‘exercise their good judgment’ in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. B.C. today reported 469 cases of the virus, 46 of which were in Interior Health.

Further, according to the latest update from the BC Centre for Disease Control, the Kamloops local health area saw a record 161 cases between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6, eating the old record 124 cases during the week of Jan. 17 and Jan. 23.

“As we ramp up vaccinations, as we see better weather, people will start to relax and let down their guard,” Horgan said, noting the next ten weeks are crucial. “This is not the time to do that. We need to keep at it people.”