Interior Health issues COVID-19 alert amid rising case numbers

British Columbia's Interior Health Authority has issued a COVID-19 alert to its residents as cases rise in the region.

The authority says in a statement that it's concerned by the upward trend and frequency of new local clusters.

An order by the provincial health officer on Saturdaylimiting social interactions doesn't apply to the Interior Health area, but the authority says in a statement that it needs the public's help to prevent further restrictions.

It is asking people to avoid non-essential travel, including unnecessary visits to the Lower Mainland or other jurisdictions with surging COVID-19 cases.

"As cases surge, Interior Health is committed to ensuring you have timely access to COVID-19 testing in order to diagnose, investigate and contact trace each case of COVID-19. We are counting on each and every resident in the Interior to help us keep our case count low by following the outlined recommendations," said a statement from the health authority.

Meanwhile, B.C.'s provincial court has issued its latest health measure, saying the provincial public health office has advised that B.C.'s courts are exempt from the recommendation that masks be worn in all public places.

However, the court says in a statement that all three B.C. courts strongly encouragethe wearing of face masks in courthouses.