As Kelowna beaches, parks, and the downtown shopping district remain busy, the top doctor in Interior Health wants people to change their behaviour.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, Dr. Sue Pollock says its important for people to remember that this is not a normal summer.

“So we are certainly here in Interior Health looking at additional measures that we can take related to these large gatherings and party settings,” she said.

“We are right now actively getting more information out to the public and education. We are posting signage at some of these locations where we know big parties and gatherings have been occurring.”

Most of the cases linked to Kelowna have been in people between 20 and 30 years of age, and Pollock says they’re also asking visitors to Interior communities to ensure they’re following all of the health protocols that are in place like physical distancing and hand washing.

“We are in the middle of a pandemic and it is extremely important that people remember to practice the public health measures that have worked well for us in B.C.,” Pollock said. “There are actions we can take and that includes not attending large gatherings. If people are hosting gatherings, we expect that they keep them into a small number, ideally they are outside.”

“As well, its really important to keep a list of who is at these gatherings. That allows public health to trace back the people that were there and conduct their contact tracing.”

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says contact tracing continues after the Kelowna exposure, noting that there are at least 70 cases linked to the events on and near Canada Day. More than 1,000 across the province are now self-isolating, with Henry adding that some of those people will likely test positive for the virus.

She made those comments while announcing 34 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, 13 of which were in the Interior Health Authority, which now has 81 active cases.

Henry also said that simply being outside is not enough, people have to avoid large groups and people not currently in their bubble. And she also announced new restrictions for restaurants and bars, including a requirement that everyone be seated at all times.