Coronavirus: Large social gatherings causing concern for B.C. health officials

Health officials are issuing more warnings to B.C. residents as more COVID-19 cases emerge from large social gatherings.

Three Vancouver police officers and two Vancouver police patrols are in isolation after breaking up an out-of-control party with more than 100 people attending, Ralph Kaisers, president of the Vancouver Police Union, said on social media on Friday.

Kaisers told Global News the party took place in an apartment in downtown Vancouver in late July.

Between 16 to 20 officers are in self-isolation as a result, Kaisers said.

In addition, hundreds of people are now self-isolating following a house party in North Vancouver.

“The numbers of contacts related to that are in the 400 range,” B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Thursday.

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The government is now looking at social media influencers to voluntarily share Henry’s message to “spread fun” and “not COVID-19.”

“It makes sense, given that demographic,” Shauna Nyrose with the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation said. “Folks that are aged 20 to 30.”

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B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix said Thursday that while no one in B.C. under the age of 40 has passed away from COVID-19, it shouldn’t give people a false sense of security when it comes to the disease.

He had a message for people looking to plan or attend private parties: “Enough. That’s enough now.”

More than half of the 47 new COVID-19 cases announced Thursday are people under the age of 40.

-with files from Jordan Armstrong and Jon Azpiri