Local governments, businesses and community groups on the Sunshine Coast are continuing their efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
After a weekend that saw long lines and cleaned-out shelves at many grocery stores, managers have been using social media to update customers on re-stocking and on new protocols.
The IGA stores in Gibsons and Wilson Creek have been asking customers to pack their own groceries and have discontinued food sampling as well a shutting down salad bars, olive bars and self-serve soup stations.
At least three grocery stores have also announced special hours for seniors or the immunocompromised.
At IGA Gibsons the special hours will be Wednesdays and Fridays and from 7 to 8 a.m.
IGA Wilson Creek will do the same on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting March 17.
And the Independent Grocer in Sechelt will open at 7 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays to allow an hour for “those over 65 to shop without fear of being exposed to too many people” until 8 a.m.
Some stores, including London Drugs, are putting limits on purchases. “Please know we have implemented limits on items such as toilet paper, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to make it fair for everyone,” the company said in a Facebook post.
A Facebook group called “Flatten the Curve- Sunshine Coast,BC” has been formed to connect people who are sick, quarantined or self-isolating with those who can help with shopping, errands or other tasks.
School District No. 46 students are now on spring break, and in its latest update the school district is reminding people that “any of us who travel outside of Canada, including to the United States, must self-isolate for 14 days upon our return. This means that the traveller may not attend school or work for that 14-day period.”
It also said they will follow health ministry directives on reopening schools after the break. “Decisions regarding school attendance for students and staff as well as the opening and closing of schools due to health concerns are decisions that legally belong to the medical community. Currently, the Ministry of Health has not announced any plans to close schools in British Columbia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Capilano University has paused all classes at all campuses, including Sechelt, for the first two days of this week “to prepare for a shift away from in-person instruction for the remainder of the semester.”
“Alternative forms of instructional delivery will resume remotely, or through other delivery methods, on Wednesday, March 18, 2020,” the university said in an update last night.
Sunshine Coast ElderCollege, which uses the facilities of Capilano University, said March 15 that it is cancelling the balance of its spring semester.
“All registered course participants of courses that are not yet finished or are scheduled to start in the next weeks or months will be contacted by the Sunshine Coast Regional District regarding reimbursement of course fees,” ElderCollege chair Ann Hopkins said.
Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), Sechelt and Gibsons local government offices remain open, but some staff are working from home and all three local governments are asking that people who need to go businesses with their offices to so online, by email or on the phone as much as possible.
Scheduled council and board meetings are expected to continue, but with minimal public seating.
The last update from the SCRD, which operates the rec centres and pools, was that all SCRD facilities remain open. “Any changes to service levels will only be made after careful consideration and we will continue to interact closely with Vancouver Coastal Health and to follow the guidance or direction from the Province,” said SCRD chief administrative officer Dean McKinley in an update March 13.
Powell River-Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons has also announced that, “Out of an abundance of caution around the COVID-19 virus, we are not taking walk-in visits [at our constituency offices] from the public at this time. Our offices will remain closed with staff working from home.”
Several local cafes and restaurants have also been taking special measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including Wheatberries Davis Bay and Sechelt, which runs the kiosk at Sechelt Hospital.
In a note posted to Facebook over the weekend the company said it was removing the seating from its Davis Bay location and converting to “a kiosk style food service.”
“Production will continue in our kitchen facility, which will now operate with maximum social distancing in plan. Service will continue in our hospital kiosk which relies on single customer service transactions.”
Here are some of the other cancellations or changes Coast Reporter was aware of as of 10 a.m. March 16:
• The Gibsons Public Library has cancelled its public programming effective immediately. The library is open as usual.
• The Sechelt Public Library will remain open but said it has cancelled children, youth, and adult programs. The tech drop-in and tax preparation appointments will continue as usual.
• The March 17 public launch of the solar array on the Sechelt Seniors Centre roof has been postponed due to COVID-19 and concerns about public events. The panels will however be activated and start saving money for the Centre. A plaque unveiling will be scheduled for a later date.
• Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden will be opening under summer hours from now until at least the end of spring break. It will be open every day except Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Find more information at www.coastbotanicalgarden.org
• Sunday and Wednesday worship services at St Bartholomew’s Church have been cancelled for the next two weeks. Qi Gong and Osteo exercise classes have also been suspended until further notice. The monthly Food Bank will be held as usual.
• The 2020 BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool’s Run has been postponed to Sunday Aug. 9.
•The remainder of regular season Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey League activities have been cancelled.
• All events at High Beam Dreams have been suspended and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis.
• The Pender Harbour Health Centre has cancelled its Harbourside Friendship program and all Senior Initiative programs for the remainder of this month.
• Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives has postponed its March 21 exhibit and book launch with Dr. Laura Millar.
• The March 29 Sunshine Coast Community Orchestra concert at Chatelech Secondary School has been cancelled.
• The Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre Society has cancelled all regular bus trips to the Lower Mainland. Tai-chi and Argentine tango classes have also been cancelled.
