So do the right thing and protect yourself, your family, your friends, and those most vulnerable by following the rules:

– SOCIALIZE WITH YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY OR HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS. You can go for a walk, cycle or ski outside with a friend.

– DON’T HOST OR GO TO HOUSE PARTIES: This is infuriating and creates a contact tracing nightmare, not to mention exposes dozens of people to COVID. Let’s say you have a cold, maybe even COVID, then GET TESTED AND STAY HOME!!

– WEAR A MASK WHEN INSIDE PUBLIC SPACES

– IF SICK, GET TESTED FOR COVID AND THEN STAY HOME UNTIL NOT SICK AND COVID NEGATIVE

– AVOID CROWDED INDOOR SPACES!

Our good friends and colleagues in larger cities are trying to hold the fabric of our tertiary care hospitals together. It’s awful, it’s heart breaking for everyone: those in ICU, their families and the healthcare workers trying to save lives, those people whose care is delayed by a COVID surge.

20% of those infected with COVID need hospital care. Half of these folks end up in ICU. If you live in the Elk Valley, and you need ICU care, when our closest ICU is full you will get sent to Cranbrook or Kelowna, and possibly further away.

18,000 people in Local Health Area. If 5% get infected:
– 900 people with COVID
– 180 people need hospital care (Fernie hospital has 16 ward beds)
– 36 need higher level of care. Cranbrook ICU has 6 beds with surge capacity of 10 or 11 ICU beds
– 25 people possibly shipped to Kelowna or Vancouver if room in their ICU…

WE CAN’T HAVE ALL THIS HAPPEN AT ONCE! Be safe and hang in until we have a vaccine.