A sudden announcement from British Columbia health officials on Wednesday came as no surprise to some local Kelowna businesses.
During the lunch break, the province reintroduced an inner mask mandate for the Central Okanagan. The mandate follows numerous positive COVID-19 tests recently.
There were 240 cases in the region last week, about 50 percent of which were related to social gatherings, workplaces and home settings, according to health officials.
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BC officials announce restrictions on Central Okanagan after COVID-19 surge in domestic health
“It seems we’ve taken two steps forward and one step back,” said Mark Burley, executive director of the Downtown Kelowna Business Association.
“We’re back to the restrictions we had in late June.”
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Jared Lee, co-owner of Central Kitchen and Bar in downtown Kelowna, said he had mixed feelings after hearing the news.
Central has temporarily closed its doors after some employees recently tested positive.
“I am very supportive of the tightened restrictions to contain the spread of what is happening,” Lee told Global News.
“I think, in my personal opinion, that is unfortunately too little, too late. The general opening of the province on Canada Day was a little premature. And that’s why I think that you can now see the consequences of this decision. “
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BC officials announce restrictions on Central Okanagan following COVID-19 surge
BC officials announce restrictions on Central Okanagan following COVID-19 surge
Lee said he supported the idea and “that people must remain vigilant and do everything possible to protect themselves and the people around them”.
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Still, Lee described the surge in cases and the resulting targeted restrictions as a blow to morale and tourism.
“We’ve been doing this for well over a year now,” said Lee. “With the smoke and the heat, things are not looking good for our city and our beautiful region.
“The smoke and heat are beyond our control, but containing the spread and reducing the risk of the spread of COVID-19 is something that we are very much in control of and that should be our # 1 priority.”
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COVID-19: Restrictions described in Central Okanagan, including local mask requirements for indoor use
COVID-19: Restrictions described in Central Okanagan, including local mask requirements for indoor use
In West Kelowna, Mt. The Boucherie Estate winery also voluntarily closed its doors July 26-29 because an employee tested positive for COVID-19.
The winery’s general manager, Jesse Harnden, said, “It’s unfortunate, but I really don’t see any alternative. And I think we have to do what we have to do to get through this and hopefully get back to normal.
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“I think the switch was turned off a little too quickly and everything went back to normal pretty quickly. In retrospect, of course, that seems pretty clear.
Harnden noted that this is the third time the winery has been closed, adding that they are encouraging staff to get vaccinated.
“You make almost half of your sales in July and August, so every day you lose is absolutely painful,” he said. “We’re going to take a big hit just because we’re closed for 4-5 days.”
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Travel Concerns Related to Mixed and Matched COVID-19 Vaccines
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Dan Rogers, the executive director of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, said this was not surprising “given the surge in cases in the region.”
He said, “I think we generally support the reintroduction of the mask mandate. We heard from our members who were concerned about resolving conflicts in their workplace when they had clients who did not follow recommendations regarding masks. ”
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Rogers went on and said, “Now it is clear it is a requirement. So that has the potential to reduce the conflict. And in the longer term, it will help us get back on track to reduce the number of cases we see in the region. “
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Concern over rising COVID-19 numbers and possible travel problems with mixed vaccines
Concern over rising COVID-19 numbers and possible travel problems with mixed vaccines
Rogers noted that the forest fire smoke covering the region had just as much impact on tourism as the pandemic.
“But we see that our businesses are resilient; we can get back on track if we follow the mandate that has now entered into force, ”he said.
“And it’s a good reminder (for companies) that they must carefully plan to protect their employees and get us back on our way to the light at the end of the tunnel.”
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