As COVID-19 continues to put pressure on the health care system in northern B.C., the province is set to announce additional measures for the region.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Northern Health chief medical officer Dr. Jong Kim are set to provide details at 3:15 p.m. PT on Thursday.
The briefing will be carried live here on the Global BC website and on BC1.
There are regional restrictions in place right now in Northern Health restricting social gatherings and other elements of life in the region.
Personal gatherings in a home are currently restricted to one additional family or five guests. Personal gatherings outside of the home are restricted to up to a a maximum of 50 people.
All indoor fitness classes and gym facilities are allowed at normal capacity.
Restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs are also operating at normal capacity.
As of Wednesday, there were 87 people in Northern Health in hospital with ongoing COVID-19 symptoms. There are 19 people in ICU in the region with COVID symptoms.
On Tuesday, the province announced 55 people have been transferred from Northern Health ICU to Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.
Of those patients, 43 have tested positive for COVID-19 and 42 were not fully vaccinated against the virus.
Vaccination rates in Northern Health continue to lag behind other regions in the province. The region has struggled to keep up with COVID-19 testing due to high demand.
Read more:
55 ICU patients transferred out of northern B.C. as situation remains ‘extremely serious’: Dix
“The time for coddling and excuses is over,” Dawson Creek City Councillor Jerimy Earl tweeted on Thursday.
“The sound of an airplane leaving our airport has become a source of dread for many, as it symbolizes another citizen who may not be coming home. It doesn’t have to be this way.”