The City of Revelstoke is reinforcing its messaging about social distancing and masking up after a COVID-19 cluster of cases was identified this week.

Interior Health says there have now been 29 cases identified, up from the 22 reported yesterday, which included 12 cases reported on Tuesday this week. As of the end of October had only reported three cases of COVID-19 over the entire course of the pandemic, according to the latest available data from the BC CDC.

“Social gatherings appear to be responsible for some of these transmissions,” said a statement from the Health Authority, noting today that the average age of the cases is the low 30s. “This cluster illustrates that COVID-19 is in smaller rural communities as well as larger urban centres.”

Speaking on NL Newsday, Mayor Gary Sulz says none of the cases have required hospitalization and he’s hoping to keep it that way.

“I think we have room for 14 or 15 people, we only have two respirators so we want to make sure that we don’t end up with a problem,” he said. “We also definitely don’t want this getting into our senior care facilities.”

Sulz says there has been little to no pushback to public health restrictions in the community of about 13,000 people.

“We’re asking again, please follow the rules. We want to make sure that we don’t inundate our hospital with COVID cases and that we don’t have any deaths in the community,” he added.

“I had some conversation with Revelstoke Mountain Resort as to what they’re doing. My biggest concern was people in the queue up there as opening day is today, and they’ve sent me pictures showing that they’re doing physical distancing and staying in their little group bubbles so I think that’s a positive.”

There were 65 new cases reported in the Interior Health Authority yesterday, 374 of which are active with nine people in hospital, two in ICU.