British Columbia officials closed the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort on March 29 after linking the venue to the largest outbreak of the dangerous Covid-19 P.1 variant outside of Brazil, the U.K.-based tabloid Daily Mail reported on Monday, April 12, 2021. Read story here.
“At least 84 people who visited the ski resort tested positive for the variant,” the tabloid said, adding, “British Columbia in total has confirmed 877 cases of the P.1 variant, with nearly a quarter of those cases being linked to Whistler. … The cramped living conditions in Whistler during peak season have been speculated to be behind the spread.”
There, as in most other places, the latest surge of Covid-19 infections is primarily among young people, who are more likely to congregate and less likely to observe precautions like masking and social distancing. This age group generally hasn’t had access to vaccinations until now, either.
The U.S. is experiencing a surge driven by a different variant, the so-called U.K. strain, which is now the dominant Covid-19 strain in the U.S.
Despite health officials warning the pandemic isn’t over, many people are throwing precautions to the winds and pretending life is normal again. Until they discover it isn’t.