The mayor of Clearwater says the North Thompson will really feel the heat from COVID-19 if tourism is offline for the summer months.

Merlin Blackwell says July, August and September are the busiest months at Wells Gray Provincial Park.

“Basically, 50 per cent of the people who come here are from out of country. The vast majority of those being from Europe. This could just add another blow to something that is already in bad shape.”

Blackwell says it is another blow for a region where there is concern about local industries, with forestry suffering for well over a year.

Wells Gray and all other provincial parks in B.C. have been shut down now for more than a week, and are expected to be fully shut down until at least the end of May.

Health officials say “community contacts” are at 30 per cent of normal in B.C., and they say contact could be increased to between 40 and 60 per cent while still flattening the curve in this province.