Penticton chamber requests province lift ‘unfair’ capacity limits

The province’s approach towards public health orders have been called into question by the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce.

Rules limiting capacity to 50% have been lifted in other parts of B.C. but remain in place in the Interior Health region as COVID-19 cases remain high.

Many business owners were expecting the province to update capacity limits on Oct. 22, and on Oct. 26 Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said the issue was being looked at on a day-to-day basis and a deacon would likely be made in the coming week.

The Penticton chamber, which represents more than 570 members, is still waiting for an update as of Oct. 30, the chamber said in a press release.

“Penticton has one of the highest rates of fully vaccinated, eligible residents in the province, yet our business community continues to be subjected to reduced capacities.” said past president Nicole Clark, in the release. As of Oct. 26, 82% of eligible Penticton residents have been fully vaccinated.

“Are our double-vaccinated people less protected than those that received their shots elsewhere in the province? We request an immediate stop to these unfair restrictions.”

Considering how challenging the pandemic has been for all business, the chamber argues every venue in compliance with public health orders should be allowed to operate at full capacity regardless of which region in B.C. it’s located.

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