The Cowichan Tribes has extended its shelter-in-place order to March 5 — two months after it was enacted Jan. 6 — as it reported two deaths related to COVID-19.
In a letter posted on the Cowichan Tribes website, Chief William Seymour says the order was extended “because we are still seeing new COVID-19 cases in our community, some people are in hospital, and new households are being affected.”
Under the order, Cowichan Tribes members must stay at home except to attend work, school or medical appointments, to obtain essential items such as groceries and medicine, or care for ill family members. Access to residential areas of the community is restricted and checkpoints have been set up.
The First Nation said two people in the community died over the weekend from COVID-19. In his letter, Seymour says both were young adults.
“While we’ve been making great efforts to protect our Elders, we now see that this virus is high-risk for many and we must all take it seriously and continue to be careful,” the letter says.
Twenty-three people in the Island Health region have died of COVID-19, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
B.C. health officials reported 427 new cases in the previous 24 hours, including 18 in the Island Health region. There are 173 active cases on the Island with 18 people in hospital, including six in critical care.
“There have been three new COVID-19-related deaths, for a total of 1,317 deaths in British Columbia,” Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a statement. “We offer our condolences to everyone who has lost loved ones to COVID-19.”
