‘This is not where we wanted to be’: Stricter COVID-19 restrictions return to Central Okanagan

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – B.C.’s top doctor is cracking down on the Central Okanagan, as the region struggles to contain the fast-spreading COVID-19 virus.

On Thursday, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced she is bringing back many restrictions that were lifted about a month ago for that part of the Interior Health Authority, effectively reverting back to phase 2 of the restart plan.

The return of these restrictions came on the same day the province recorded 464 new COVID-19 cases, nearly 60 per cent of which were in Interior Health.

There are 52 people hospitalized with the illness, down from 58 on Thursday. The number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU has risen from 21 to 24. There have been no COVID-related deaths in the past day.

The province is ordering bars and nightclubs in the Central Okanagan shut down and dining at restaurants is once again limited to six people per table. Outdoor personal gatherings are limited to 50 people, while indoor personal gatherings can only include five people or one other household.

People are strongly urged against travel to or from the region, which includes Kelowna.

“If you have travelled recently to the Central Okanagan, you need to know that this virus is spreading rapidly. It is much more transmissible, as we have seen in other parts of the country and other parts of the world. You must monitor yourself for symptoms and get tested if any arise,” Henry said.

No additional restrictions are being brought in for any other parts of B.C.

“This is not where we wanted to be, obviously, right now,” Henry said, adding she believes B.C. can still turn things around.

She says she expected to see some more cases as restrictions were eased at the beginning of July, allowing for more social connections for British Columbians, “but stopping the spread when we start to get this rapid increase, particularly among people who are not yet protected, means that we have to take additional measures in this area.”

Interior Health has 1,356 active cases, which is 56.24 per cent of all of B.C.

“The vast majority of those are in the Central Okanagan local health area,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said, adding 37 per cent of hospitalizations and 46 per cent of B.C.’s ICU cases are also in Interior Health.

Henry says the highly infectious Delta variant is a major factor, noting it accounts for 80 per cent of cases in that health authority.

“Under-immunized young people, mostly between the ages of 20 and 40, [is where] we’re seeing this spread,” Henry said.

“We know that many people in this age group were the last to access vaccine, and for many of them, case counts had come down [and] it may not have been a priority,” she added. “Most of the transmission events we are seeing are through social gatherings [such as] vacation rentals, people coming together and having parties, in bars and nightclubs … We’ve seen transmission in fitness centers and personal gatherings from parties to weddings to other events.”

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Last week, the province announced some additional COVID-19 restrictions, in an attempt to slow the spread of the illness.

“Unfortunately we’re here today because these measures have not led to significant reduction in COVID transmission throughout the Central Okanagan,” said Dr. Sue Pollock, Interior Health’s chief medical officer.

“Just in the past week, the outbreak has almost tripled, rising from about 320 cases when we declared the outbreak last Wednesday to approximately 1,200 cases. Today we have over 700 active cases, we have 31 individuals who are hospitalized, and 10 in critical care.”

Earlier this week, a photo and video shared on Twitter of a large, unmasked crowd in Kelowna drew the ire of a city councillor. The images were shared on Twitter by a person who says the footage was taken over the B.C. Day long weekend.

City councillor Mohini Singh called the posts worrying.

“No one seems to be concerned about the possibility that the pandemic. COVID is still around. And while they’re having a good time, they’re not maintaining social responsibility, and that is a big concern to me,” Singh explained.

https://twitter.com/tired_elle/status/1423052437661765632

Pollock strongly urges people who are not yet immunized against COVID-19 to take the situation seriously.

“We really need your help to bring this outbreak under control,” she said.

“Please come out and get your vaccine. We will make it as easy as we can for you to do that. It’s the most effective way to bring this Central Okanagan outbreak under control.”

On Wednesday, Henry told NEWS 1130 “we are absolutely on track” to enter stage 4 of the reopening plan in early September.

“I’m confident that we’re going to be in a good place here in B.C.,” she said, acknowledging “there will be other unknowns,” moving forward.

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According to B.C.’s reopening plans, Sept. 7 is the earliest day we could enter stage 4, where masks go from “recommended” to becoming a “personal choice,” and concerts would be allowed again.

The province says 81.8 per cent of British Columbians aged 12 and up have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 68.9 per cent are fully vaccinated. Looking at adults in B.C., those figures rise to 82.7 per cent and 71 per cent, respectively.

When the plan was announced in late May, Henry said step 4 could only happen if more than 70 per cent of adults in B.C. have received at least one dose, cases are “low and stable” with “contained clusters” and COVID-19 hospitalizations are “low.”

On Thursday, Henry said the immunization rates laid out for each stage of the plan were only thresholds to beat “before we’d even consider moving there.”

With files from Claire Fenton, Hana Mae Nassar, and Sonia Aslam

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