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Skiers and snowboarders should knock off the apres ski parties and follow COVID safety rules if they want their local ski resorts to stay open.
That’s the message being sent by B.C.’s ski industry before the Family Day long weekend in the hope that an information campaign targeting skiers and resort employees will be enough to tamp down the surge in COVID-19 cases in resort communities like Whistler.
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by Craig Takeuchi on February 12th, 2021 at 7:15 PM 1 of 2 2 of 2
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that B.C. is bending the curve downward but needs to maintain that effort.
That message is of particular importance this weekend with numerous occasions taking place, including the Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and Family Day.
B.C. Health Minister said that he wanted to express his appreciation for Chinese Canadian, Vietnamese Canadian, and additional communities celebrating Lunar New Year, “who have been, as communities, extraordinarily committed to following provincial health guidelines, who have been leaders in that regard”.
Meanwhile, a new variant has been detected in the province, and B.C. is launching a campaign to help reduce transmission at ski locations.
by Craig Takeuchi on February 8th, 2021 at 5:30 PM 1 of 3 2 of 3
At today’s B.C. COVID-19 briefing, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she’s been talking with her colleagues a lot about the variant, as they have been watching what has been happening in other countries.
She said, much to their dismay, the variant “does change the game in some ways” if it does take off and becomes dominant.
“All of us have dreaded that,” she said, as she said it can take us back to how we were operating at the beginning of the pandemic with case management, contact tracing, and controlling every single case.
The number of COVID-19 cases connected to Big White Mountain is continuing to grow, but health officials believe they re getting the cluster under control.
by Craig Takeuchi on February 3rd, 2021 at 9:00 AM 1 of 1 2 of 1
With so many unpredictable factors involved in the current state of the pandemic from vaccines to variants the question of whether Pride celebrations will be held in some physical form or virtually this year remains up in the air.
In Toronto, all events up to March 31 have been cancelled but it remains to be seen how Toronto Pride will be held in June. (In 2020, the parade was held online.)
Winter Pride festivals
At B.C. COVID-19 briefings, Dr. Bonnie Henry has explained that outdoor winter sport activities are safe but what is of concern is when people gather afterwards indoors. For those heading out to the ski hills, Henry has said that day trips are less risky than staying overnight or for several days.