Another Whistler restaurant joined the list of potential COVID-19 exposure sites in Whistler Monday, Feb. 1, according to 麻豆传媒映画Coastal Health (VCH).
The Amsterdam Cafe and Pub is the seventh resort restaurant or bar that has appeared on the exposure list in the past week, meaning health officials have been unable to contact everyone who may have been exposed. The possible exposure dates are noted as Jan. 11 to 17, Jan. 19, 21, and from the 23 to 25, during operating hours.
"Depending on the type of interactions an individual has had and the measures and safety plans in place at the time, VCH is often able to identify and notify all close contacts directly and determine there is no further risk to the public,鈥� VCH wrote in an information bulletin last week. "VCH Public Health issues public exposure alerts when it has determined there was a risk of public exposure and it has not been able to contact everyone who may have been exposed."
Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub, Black's Pub and Buffalo Bills Bar & Grill were added to the potential exposure list on Wednesday, Jan. 27, joining 贬测鈥檚 Whistler, El Furniture Warehouse and The Longhorn Saloon added earlier that week.
The potential exposure dates are noted as between Jan. 1 and 27 for the Dubh Linn Gate; from Jan. 5 to 27 at Black鈥檚; from Jan. 4 to 27 for Bills; from Jan. 16 to 25 at the Longhorn; on Jan. 12, and from Jan. 14 to 21 at El Furni's; and on Jan. 13, and 15 and 16 at Hy's.
All the recent possible exposures are considered to by low risk by VCH, and anyone who attended the establishments during operating hours on the listed dates and has not been contacted is asked to self-monitor for symptoms.
The Fairmont Chateau Whistler has also confirmed, in , that 12 of its employees have tested positive. In the statement, it said it was "working closely with 麻豆传媒映画Coastal Health to follow the appropriate protocols to mitigate risk and ensure that our hotel remains a healthy and safe place for all who visit." There is a 48-hour hold on guest rooms between occupancy wherever possible, it went on.
According to the , in the past two week leads up to Jan. 26, the number of COVID-19 cases per capita in the Howe Sound Heath region, which comprises Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish, Lions Bay and parts of the southern Stl'atl'mx Nation, has been two to 13 times higher than anywhere else in southwest B.C., with nearly one per cent of the region's population becoming infected during that period.
Between Jan. 17 and 23, the most recent data listed, the health region saw 224 new cases, up from the 63 confirmed cases the region recorded between Jan. 10 and 16, and the 14 the week prior to that. By comparison, the Howe Sound health region had a total of 503 cases for all of 2020.
VCH urges Whistler residents and potential visitors to continue to follow public health guidelines, including:
- Keep to your household bubbles and avoid social gatherings.
- Avoid all non-essential travel; visit your local mountains for winter and recreational activities.
- Stay home if you have any symptoms and get tested if your symptoms are consistent with COVID-19.
- Practise physical distancing and wear a mask, if possible, if you cannot.
- Wash your hands often.
Anyone with COVID-like symptoms is advised to first consult . If you meet the self-assessment criteria or you are still concerned, you should call Whistler鈥檚 COVID clinic line at 604-966-1428, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. daily.
For anyone experiencing food insecurity, the Whistler Food Bank remains open for drop-in from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays, while food-bank deliveries are also available by calling the Whistler Community Services Society office line, which is open six days a week, at 604-932-0113. Each delivery also includes hygiene kits for each member of the household to allow them to safely self-isolate.
