If you’re planning on travelling to the interior, you may want to think again.
This afternoon (Friday), B.C. health officials announced they are bringing back some public health orders, to help slow down the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the restrictions only apply to the Interior Health region. Masks must now be worn by everyone aged 12 and older in all public spaces, indoor gatherings are limited to only five people, and travel to or within the interior for non-essential reasons is discouraged.
Meanwhile, in today’s COVID-19 update, the province reported 663 new COVID-19 cases, including 54 in the Island Health region. The Coastal Health region, which includes Powell River, saw 135. All in all, there’s a total of 6,345 active cases across B.C., with 129 people in hospital and 59 in intensive care.
On the vaccine front, 83.0 per cent (3,846,528) of eligible B.C.’ers 12 and older have gotten their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 74.3 per cent (3,442,163) received their second. Within the Island Health region specifically, as of yesterday, 81 per cent of eligible Island residents received at least one dose of vaccine and 74 per cent were fully vaccinated.