Extended restrictions hit businesses hard

It means indoor gatherings can have no more than 50 people, even if the planned venue for the Nutcracker, Vanier Hall, seats 800. Judy Russell has had her theatrical wings clipped again. And her frustration is with what she sees as inequities in how different events, like sporting events versus arts events, are treated.

“I cannot understand the rationale behind large sporting events and small sporting events indoors can have fifty percent audience capacity and a passported and carefully orchestrated theatrical endeavor, such as what Theatre Northwest is doing, and ourselves and the Symphony Orchestra, are held to fifty people.”

In a release, Northern Health states the decision is due to “sustained rates of COVID-19 activity and the impacts on health care resources.”

“While immunization rates continue to increase in larger centres across the north, some parts of the region still have some of the lowest vaccination rates in BC.”

We asked Dr. Kim if residents and businesses in Prince George are being penalized because people in the Peace and west of the city are not getting their vaccines, and likely never will be.

“We are seeing the elevated COVID-19 activity, it’s a bit separated from the immunization rate,” explains Dr. Kim. “We are seeing COVID-19 activity elevated with the Delta variant.”

But even that explanation is fishy to Russell in light of the fact the order doesn’t include the western portion of Northern Health.

“Isn’t that interesting, seeing as what we’re hearing is ‘Well it doesn’t really matter what’s going on in your community. The virus is everywhere. The variant is everywhere.’ Well, it appears that the variant is up north about five hours from us or perhaps an hour to the west, so we’re all tarred with that brush.”

She says all she wants is some way to get to yes on her production instead of going to black.

by Cheryl Jahn

Extended restrictions hit businesses hard

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