Update: Four Kelowna locations identified that eight individuals with COVID-19 from Lower Mainland and Alberta attended

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      Update (July 14): 

      Further details about the exposure event have been revealed and the number of individuals who have tested positive has expanded to 13 people. For more details, see this article

      Update (July 13):

      Interior Health issued updates on July 11 and 12 for the public notice released on July 10 about eight individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 and were in the downtown and waterfront areas of Kelowna from June 26 to July 5.

      As contact tracing and the investigation continues, specific locations have been identified where infected individuals were present.

      Anyone who was at the following two locations is being asked to self-isolate and monitor themselves for symptoms:

      • Boyce Gyro Beach Lodge (3519 Lakeshore Road, Kelowna) on July 1;
      • Discovery Bay Resort (1088 Sunset Drive, Kelowna) from July 1 to 5.

      Anyone at the following locations is being asked to monitor themselves for symptoms, but not to self-isolate unless symptoms appear:

      • Cactus Club (1–1370 Water Street) from July 3 to 6;

      • Pace Spin Studio (5–1717 Harvey Avenue) on July 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9).

      Anyone who was in the downtown or waterfront areas of Kelowna on the previously mentioned dates should monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days, and anyone who develops symptoms should immediately self-isolate and seek testing.

      Original article (July 10):

      A large-scale potential COVID-19 exposure incident spanning several days in British Columbia’s Interior, involving individuals from outside the region, has prompted a public notification.

      Interior Health issued a news release today (July 10) to alert anyone who attended gatherings in Kelowna’s downtown and waterfront areas from June 25 to July 6 that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus.

      Eight individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 attended private gatherings and visited various businesses in Kelowna, including restaurants and bars, within that timeframe.

      In addition, health officials are especially concerned about Canada Day and holiday weekend events.

      Interior Health stated that six of the infected individuals live outside of the Interior Health region, and CBC News reported that some of the individuals were from the Lower Mainland and Alberta.

      Contact tracing is currently being conducted and public-health team members will inform any known contacts to isolate for 14 days.

      Because of the number of locations and cases involved, anyone who attended any event on those dates is asked to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19, such as fever, cough, breathing problems, loss of sense of taste or smell, fatigue, body aches, runny nose, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, red eyes, or vomiting.

      Anyone who develops symptoms should immediately self-isolate and contact health-care providers or Interior Health testing centres to arrange for testing.

      Interior Health is working with other jurisdictions to determine the source of the outbreak.

      Over this past week, new daily case counts in B.C. have steadily increased, from seven cases on July 6 to 25 cases today.

      Recent public-exposure incidents have taken place at three nightlife venues in Vancouver, while cases have been confirmed at a McDonald's restaurant in Surrey, a gym in Burnaby, and flights to and from Vancouver. 

      Although travel-related businesses have been reopening in B.C. as part of Phase 3 of the province's reopening plan, many communities remain concerned about the possibility of travellers bringing the coronavirus into their regions.

      The Haida Nation is opposing the reopening of two luxury fishing lodges without their consent, as they have stated that even one case of COVID-19 could be devastating to their communities because of limited health-care services and only two available ventilators. 

      You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at @cinecraig or on Facebook

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