There have now been 23 cases of COVID-19 reported at Sun Peaks in recent days.
The cluster was first reported on Saturday with 15 cases, after fewer than two-dozen cases were seen all winter in the community.
Sun Peaks mayor Al Raine says those cases came after 45-to-50 tests were done on the weekend, and he says most of those people are residents and employees in the village.
Raine tells NL News there were noticeably more people in the village over the past couple weeks, and were “definitely” skiers from Whistler and Revelstoke, where ski resorts closed down early.
“Definitely there were more people around, and definitely there was a bit of a festive atmosphere, and people were letting their guards down a little. But our focus has not been ‘hey, who should we blame.’ It’s let’s guess this little outbreak contained and move on.”
Raine says the atmosphere in the village was much quieter yesterday and today, and he says “people are paying attention.”
“My hope is the number doesn’t climb, but I am fearful that it is going to climb a little bit more. I do think getting the word out in the community and making everyone aware is going to help. And I know that, driving around the community yesterday, it’s very, very quiet.”
The village also does have a COVID-19 testing site open today.
Raine acknowledges that some Sun Peaks residents have been getting tested in Kamloops.
People from Sun Peaks who are getting a test done in Kamloops are asked to go straight there and come straight back home, and not to make any stops. Those people are also asked to tell healthcare professionals to include Dr. Shane Barclay on their requisition, who is the doctor at the Sun Peaks Health Centre, which would help with contact tracing and keeping track of new cases.
(Photo: Sun Peaks Resort)