Northern British Columbia records first new cases of COVID-19 in nearly six weeks

Three new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in northern B.C., breaking a nearly six-week streak without any positive diagnoses in the region.

Prior to Friday, the last reported case in the region occurred on June 8, said Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins.

"It's really important to remember, though, that every day's data is a snapshot in time," she said. "No one should become complacent and feel like COVID-19 is no longer a threat."

The Northern Health Authority is responsible for a huge tract of land, encompassing the entire top half of the province from Quesnel in the south up to the Yukon border — an area of nearly 600,000 square kilometres, larger than most European countries.

Despite this range, the province does not provide a more detailed breakdown of where positive cases in Northern Health are, citing privacy concerns. 

But Dr. Bonnie Henry did confirm that the three positive cases occurred in three different communities, and that at least two were travel related.

She also reiterated the importance of not becoming complacent, as COVID-19 can remain undetected in communities for long periods of time.

Friday also saw a positive case of COVID-19 detected at the Site C work camp in Fort St. John. However, because it was initially detected in Alberta, it is recorded as "out of province" and not included in the running total for Northern Health.

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