Families across the province are setting up their campsites this week at provincial parks, which are now open to seasonal campers.
COVID-19 safety measures are in place, but that doesn’t seem to have stopped people from heading to the great outdoors.
Campers who booked seasonal sites across the province were officially able to check in on Monday.
They’ll be required to practise physical distancing and minimize contact within other campers. And, while overnight stays are allowed, playgrounds, pools and beaches remain closed.
Terry Linder, who camps at Echo Valley Provincial Park every year with his wife, children and grandchildren, said normally they would cool off in the lake on a hot day, but this year they’ve come up with a backup plan.
“We’ll just have to take it in stride,” said Linder. “We’ll probably get ourselves a blow up pool or something for the site and probably a lot of other people will be doing the same thing.”
Linder is from Regina and uses his campsite mostly on weekends. He said he enjoys fishing and campfires, two things that are allowed.
But along with pools and beaches, laundry facilities and public showers will be closed.
That means campers will have to do laundry at home or in a nearby town.
People with trailers can only use the washroom in their trailer if they have one. Public washroom access is limited to one household at a time.
Despite all the rules, Stephanie and Devon Kolebaba also booked at Echo Valley.
The couple said they usually camp in B.C. but decided against it this year because of COVID-19. They also wanted to be closer to home in Regina because of their four-month old son Lucas.
