Northern Health, the First Nations Health Authority, Indigenous communities, and the District of Fort St. James, continue to closely monitor and respond to a surge of COVID-19 cases in Fort St. James and nearby communities.
Between November 18 and December 17, there have been 108 laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the central and northern portions of the Nechako Local Health Area. This includes 33 cases confirmed between December 9 and 15, 2020. Of the total, 65 cases are considered active.
We need your support and commitment to act responsibly and to play your part in limiting the spread of the virus. These include (but are not limited to):
- No social gatherings of any size; social interactions and gatherings are limited to those in your immediate household only
- Travel for essential purposes only; people should not travel to visit others, unless it is urgently required or essential
- Wearing a mask in indoor public spaces; masks are required for everyone in all indoor public settings, workplaces and retail stores
- Staying home if you are sick
The full orders and guidelines can be found at www.gov.bc.ca/covid19
Rates of COVID-19 cases in the North mean that whether or not you have had close contact with a lab-confirmed COVID case or someone with COVID-19 symptoms, everyone is at a similar risk for getting COVID. For this reason, everyone should be following public health advice, closely self-monitoring for symptoms, and getting tested if symptoms develop.
Northern Health is working with various health partners to coordinate the response to this cluster of COVID-19 activity. The top priority is to ensure individuals have the supports they need to access testing, treatment, and to isolate close to home or close to advanced care. This work is guided by a collaborative framework that ensures people living in rural, remote and Indigenous communities in B.C. have access to critical health care to meet their unique needs.
Practicing COVID prevention is important, no matter where in the region you live. Not all COVID-19 infected individuals are tested and reported; the virus may be circulating undetected, including in areas where no cases have been identified by public health. Information on recent COVID-19 activity, including by Local Health Area, can be viewed in regularly updated maps on the BC Centre for Disease Control (COVID-19 Data) website, at www.bccdc.ca.