To our patients in Tumbler Ridge,
We are taking this unusual step to write to you personally regarding the COVID-19 virus. You will have heard the directive from our Provincial Health Officer, Dr Bonnie Henry, to self-isolate and practice physical distancing.
The time to act is now. Our province is in a state of emergency. What we do today will impact the health of British Columbians in the weeks to come.
Please stay home unless absolutely necessary (one exception for Tumbler Ridge is going out for a walk, or onto the trails, provided this does not involve close contact with others). No dinner parties. No shopping. No sports, not even outside. Instead, have coffee with a friend online.
Keep two metres away from everyone at all times. That’s about the width of a car or two length of two arms stretched out. Call your loved ones and tell them to do the same.
Remind young people in your life that they can get sick from this virus. More importantly, they can be carriers and cause a lot of harm to parents, grandparents, and other loved ones.
We can do this, but we can’t wait one more hour or one more day. Let’s save lives, together.
And let us be grateful that we live where we do, where it is often easier to put these necessary steps into practice than in many other places.
Dr Ifey Akanegbu, Dr Charles Helm, Dr Nigel Mathews, Dr Shola Solomon
