For years, Prince George residents have kicked off a new year by sending shivers down their spine in the thrill of the Polar Bear Dip.
However, COVID-19’s recent spike in northern B.C. has become bone-chilling itself.
As a result, those looking to start 2021 by taking the plunge into the frigid waters of Ness Lake will have to wait a little bit longer.
Ness Lake Bible Camp, the organizers of the annual event and fundraiser, has postponed the Polar Bear Dip from its originally-planned Jan. 1 date, which comes after several talks it’s had with Northern Health.
The Dip typically sees more than 100 people come together for charity, chills, hot chocolate and cinnamon buns.
The organization explains, in a social media post, it’s looking into different options to host the Polar Bear Dip ‘sometime in the new year.’
Current health orders in B.C. prohibit public gatherings of any size, as well as events planned for your own home aside from those living in your immediate household.
These orders are in place by Dr. Bonnie Henry tentatively until Jan. 8, 2021.
As of this publication, Northern Health has recorded 1,415 COVID-19 infections since its first lab-confirmed case in March, less than 70 days after the Polar Bear Dip took place.
Of those cases, 385 are listed as active, 19 people are in critical care among 44 total hospitalizations, 1,015 recoveries and 15 deaths.
Last year, Prince George set a new Polar Bear Dip fundraising record on Jan. 1, 2020 by bringing in more than $20,000, nearly doubling its original bar set at $11,000 from 2019.
The money raised is earmarked for kids that don’t have the financial means to attend camp each summer.
Other Polar Bear Dips across B.C. are being cancelled altogether or are being replaced with online events, including Vancouver, Squamish and Victoria.
