COVID-19: Capacity restrictions to remain in place for Interior sports venues

Sports fans in B.C.’s Interior didn’t get the good news they were hoping for on Tuesday.

During a press conference, the province’s top health official, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said the current capacity restrictions still in effect for Interior sporting venues will remain in place for the time being.

Henry was questioned why teams like the Vancouver Giants, who play in Langley, can have 100-per cent capacity despite growing cases in the Fraser Valley, but Interior teams like the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets are capped at 50 per cent.

Data from Tuesday showed the Interior Health region had 642 active cases, while the Fraser Health region had 2,002 cases.

The Fraser Health region, with around 1.9 million people, is around 2.3 times the size of the Interior (800,000), but also had triple the active cases.

“I understand that and I have been working with my colleagues in Interior Health,” Henry told reporters.

“We have been reviewing the orders and it is absolutely a decision that we make together.”

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Henry continued, saying, “We have been looking at a number of different things in Interior Health — in the same way that we are looking at what’s happening in (Northern Health) and in Fraser and Fraser East, in particular where the restrictions remain in place.”

Henry said the things they look at are:

• Transmission in the community;
• Where it’s happening;
• Who it’s affecting;
• Vaccination rates in communities.

“So where we are still seeing high rates of transmission and lower rates of immunization,” said Henry, “those are all things that are important and we take into account.”

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Henry also mentioned they look at the impact on the health-care system, “and Kamloops is a good example where, unfortunately, we still have a lot of transmission in the community.

“As vaccination rates are coming up, that is great. But we’re not at the point where we feel we can take that risk of allowing that type of activity to occur with the stresses that are on the health-care system right now.”

However, Henry did note “that things are settling down right now in the Interior and people are doing a great job. Vaccination rates are coming up; the measures we’re taking are making a difference.”

She said they are looking at the restrictions on a day-to-day basis, “and I do believe they are going to be settling in the next few days. I hope that we’ll be able to lift restrictions and be able to get back to those important hockey games and other arts and events safely very soon.”

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