Merritt and area residents will be without emergency room coverage for 25-hours this weekend because of a lack of doctors.

Interior Health says the emergency room at the Nicola Valley Hospital will be closed between 7 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22 and 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.

This is the 13th ER closure in Merritt this year, with people in need of care being told to head to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

The Merritt ER is usually open 24/7, but it has been undergoing a series of closures because of a lack of staff for the past couple of years.

As has been the case during past emergency room closures, Interior Health says people in Merritt who need life-saving emergency care should call 9-1-1.

People who aren’t sure if they need to head to the emergency room are being told to contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.