“Surging COVID-19 activity has become a concern,” said Interior Health, who has since issued a COVID-19 Alert for the entire health authority. “Due to higher rates of COVID-19 being detected, Interior Health is concerned by the upward trend and frequency of new clusters in the region.”
While Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer issued regional orders for the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions in the past week, Interior Health is reminding the public that support is needed in order for the region to avoid similar “stringent measures” from the Province.
Dr. Henry’s regional health orders do not impact Interior Health at this time. That being said, Interior Health is urging the public to limit all non-essential travel.
“This means no unnecessary visits to the Lower Mainland or other jurisdictions with surging cases,” said the health authority.
“COVID-19 cases in schools, health-care settings, and workplaces are disruptive but not unexpected. These cases reflect increased COVID-19 activity in the community.”
Interior Health said the public can play a role in preventing community transmission of the virus by taking the following steps:
- Maintaining our social connections are important for our wellbeing. However, please keep your bubble small and limited to your household and a handful (up to six) close friends.
- When planning your holiday gathering, please avoid travel and choose to celebrate with individuals in your bubble.
- Physical distancing measures are especially challenging for young people. It is important they also keep their bubble small and, as much as possible, limit their interactions to a close group of friends from within their school cohort.
- Essential workers, such as health-care workers and teachers, play a critical role in our communities and therefore it is imperative they also keep their bubble small.
- Remember: The provincial health officer’s orders to household gatherings applies province-wide. This means no more than six people from outside your household bubble should gather in your home.
“As cases surge, Interior Health is committed to ensuring you have timely access to COVID-19 testing in order to diagnose, investigate and contact trace each case of COVID-19,” added the health authority. “We are counting on each and every resident in the Interior to help us keep our case count low by following the outlined recommendations.”
MORE: COVID-19 Testing Information (Interior Health)
