Editor:

I hope you are doing well, health wise and practicing good social distancing rules. This is a very serious situation even through there only appears to be a few cases in Northern Health鈥檚 region.

I have a lot of confidence in the health care professionals in our region. They are an exceptional team and can meet most of the demands our communities can put on them.

However, we all have to do our part in practicing good social distancing rules, staying home if you are not feeling well and most importantly, follow the instructions of the Provincial Health Officer. Despite having such excellent health care providers, they can easily become overwhelmed and burnt out if we see a rapid spike in cases in our area. We can鈥檛 be too cautious during this period of time and we all need to do our part.

My hope is that residents will stay calm, follow the instructions of Dr. Bonny Henry, be kind to one another and look after one another as we have always done.

Take some time to check on seniors or others with mobility challenges to make sure they have what they need. Our supply chains are solid so there is no need to store significant quantities of food and goods.

Having said that, I think it would be a good idea for people to have enough food and supplies in store for a couple of weeks just in case we see a spike of cases in our area. In addition, please do not forget to have any medication on hand to see you through the next few weeks.

Finally, this pandemic will likely go on for some time.

The Federal Government has put together an economic aid package. The province has also put together a package.

Out of caution, I have closed my office for meetings but we will be checking phone calls, emails and responding as quickly as we can. If there is anything my office can help with, please call at 250-567-6820 or email us at carrie.smith@leg.bc.ca, lory.derksen@leg.bc.ca or john.rustad.mla@leg.bc.ca

Sincerely,

John Rustad