By Lyonel Doherty
The Loose Bay Campground Society is still grappling to open the facility in May despite a “rumour” that it won’t happen.
A comment on the Osoyoos Loop Facebook page on Thursday indicated that the group was informed that it would not be allowed to open because they could not guarantee safe guidelines during the pandemic. That statement was later edited to say that the camp would open, according to Interior Health.
Oliver town councillor Larry Schwartzenberger commented that the regional district has indicated that Interior Health and Loose Bay are working together to finalize protocols for the camp to open May 1.
“No one has said that Loose Bay can’t open as of today,” Schwartzenberger said on the Loop.
Loose Bay Campground Society chair Allan Patton told the Chronicle that he heard the “rumour” but didn’t know anything about it.
“It has been suggested that we close it down,” he said, but added he would need to hear something official before that happened.
“We’re all very nervous about it,” Patton stated, admitting that the society would rather close it down because it has created a “huge amount of stress” for the directors.
But he noted that Loose Bay is a necessity for fruit harvesting in the region. Closing it down would mean fewer pickers and less control on the transient population during COVID-19, Patton pointed out.
The long-time farmer said the society is still looking to have a risk assessment done on the camp so that potential problems can be mitigated. That also reduces the liability of the society, he stated.
Interior Health media spokesperson Karl Hardt said they have provided guidance to Loose Bay and will continue to monitor operations like this to ensure they are providing a safe environment for patrons.
Chris Shewchuk, media spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said like most businesses, Loose Bay has not been ordered to close; this is something they do voluntarily.
“There are actually very few orders compared to how many businesses have decided to close out of an abundance of caution,” Shewchuk said.
“It’s more likely that they (Loose Bay) can open at their discretion, and if they don’t follow those orders Interior Health would follow up with them with penalties.”
