Health officials closing nightclubs and bars, placing limits on gatherings in B.C.'s Central Okanagan

Officials in B.C. reinstated a number of public health orders for the Central Okanagan area on Friday, shutting nightclubs, limiting restaurant dining andrestricting the size of social gatherings until further notice as the delta variant drives the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Nightclubs and bars will be closed as of Friday, while liquor cut-off at restaurants will be 10 p.m. PT.Limits on the number of people allowed to gather together applyboth indoors and outdoors as of Monday.

People who had plansto travel to the CentralOkanaganshould try to cancel or reschedule, officials said. Anyone who is not vaccinated, in particular, should avoid the area.

"This is not where we want us to be obviously right now, and we know, however, that we can make a tremendous impact in slowing this virus down,'' said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry during a news conference on Friday.

The latest surge of cases in B.C. is concentrated in the Interior Health region, with the "vast majority" in theCentral Okanagan. The areaincludes Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland, Lake Country and Rutland.

Gatherings in the Central Okanaganwill belimited as follows, startingMonday:

• Outdoor gatherings, like birthday parties or backyard BBQs maximum50 people.
• Indoor personal gatherings maximum fivepeople or one additional household.
• Indoor/outdoor organized and seated gatherings, such asweddings maximum50 people.
• Vacation rentals, like houseboats or Airbnbs: Maximum of fiveguests in addition to occupants.

Amask mandateimposedlast week in an attempt to slow the spread remains in effect.High intensity indoor fitness classes are cancelled, but low intensity workouts at fitness centres arestill permitted.

Henry acknowledgedsome large events, like weddings, will already be booked for theweekend beforerestrictions on gatherings come back into effect onMonday. She said hosts need to take precautions seriously if they choose to go ahead over the next three days.

"For events planned this weekend, we know that we can't change those immediately. What we need you to do is ensure you have safety plans in place," Henry said.

"As much as possible, unimmunized people should not attend these events, whether it's a wedding or a birthday party or a formal organized event. People should wear masks, they should stay seated and follow physical distancing rules."

Henry said hosts need to keep an accurate list of everybody who attends their event for contact tracing purposes.

B.C.'s caseload concentrated in strained Interior

Nearly 60 per cent of the new cases reported for the entireprovince on Friday were in the Interior Health region.

Officials said the outbreak in the Central Okanaganhas tripled from around 300 cases to roughly 1,200 since last week. The highly transmissible delta variant accounts for 80 per cent of cases.

Most patients are younger people between the ages of 20 and 40 who aren't vaccinated or who have only had one shot.

"Most of the transmission events we are seeing are through social gatherings, whether that's in vacation rental, people coming together and having parties, in bars and nightclubs that we've seen,'' said Henry.

Anyone who has travelled to the area recently is asked to monitor for symptoms.

"We know that now there has been transmission from people who have travelled to the Central Okanagan and moved back to different areas of the province," said Henry.

The outbreak has also spilled over into the health-care system at a time when resources are already strained due to aggressive wildfires, smoky skies andpersistent heat in the region. "Dozens" of health-care workers in acute care have been infected, according to officials, and there are two new outbreaks in long-term care.

"That puts stress on our health-care system across both the Central Okanaganand all of the Interior as we know Kelowna General [Hospital], for example, supports all of the Interior Health regions," Henry said.

The restrictions announced Friday apply to everybody in the Central Okanagan, vaccinated and unvaccinated.

"Right now, when we're seeing a lot of transmission of a highly transmissible virus, we have to take measures to protect everyone," said Henry.

Around 95 per centofCOVID-19 patients in hospital inB.C. as of Friday had not been vaccinated or had received only one dose. Noneof the patients in intensive care were vaccinated, Health Minister Adrian Dixsaid.

British Columbians aged 12 and over who have not yet been immunized can register in three ways:

• Online through theGet Vaccinated portal.
• By calling 1-833-838-2323. Translators are available in 140 languages.
• In person at anyService B.C. location.

People can also be immunized atwalk-in clinics throughout the province.