As the Easter long weekend approaches, health officials in Alberta and British Columbia are urging residents to stick to their respective provinces as the country grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint statement Thursday morning, the Alberta and B.C. health ministers said while travel between the provinces is typical during a long weekend, they noted these are “extraordinary times.”

“This long weekend is different,” read the statement from B.C.’s Adrian Dix and Alberta’s Tyler Shandro.

“A global pandemic puts us all at risk — and we all must stay home, stay in our communities and stay at a safe physical distance from others when outside.”

While the border between Canada and the United States was closed to non-essential travel last month to help fight the spread of the novel coronavirus, provincial borders within Canada remain open.

The ministers noted many people have family members across the provincial borders and that the holiday without loved ones in person would be difficult. But they both stressed the importance of finding other ways to connect than in person.

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“Let us be clear: Staying home means no travelling — especially across our borders,” the statement said.

“We encourage everyone to find ways to connect virtually this long weekend, including by video chat or with phone calls.

“Continue to make every effort to protect loved ones, our elders and our health care workers.”

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