Concerns about confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the high number of cases in Prince George, which are overloading hospital wards at UHNBC, have prompted the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation to restrict access to its Northside and Southside subdivisions on the Shelley reserve northwest of the city.
In a Sunday morning release, the LTFN said access to each subdivision will be limited to residents, essential staff and approved contractors. The TANO Fuels filling station at Shelley will remain closed until the order is lifted.
“The safety of our members, staff and visitors is our Number 1 priority at all times,” said LTFN chief Dolleen Logan. “With confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our community, the alarming number of cases in Prince George and the ongoing situation at University Hospital of Northern B.C., council and administration had no choice but to limit access to our Northside and Southside subdivisions.
“We know this comes just ahead of the Thanksgiving weekend when families and friends enjoy gathering to celebrate the season,” she said. “The restricted access order will remain in place through the Thanksgiving weekend and will be reassessed on Tuesday, Oct. 12 to determine if it will remain in place or be amended.
“We feel it is the community’s responsibility to keep everyone safe and we owe it to each other to continue to practice COVID-19 safety protocols.”
As of Friday, there 1,043 active cases of COVID in the Northern Health region. There were 106 new cases confirmed in the previous 24 hours leading up to Friday’s case count.
