Deadly crash in Ashcroft, water restrictions and CDC Sex Rules!

Ashcroft Highway 1 south of Ashcroft has been closed since approximately 8 p.m. on Monday, July 27 due to a serious vehicle incident which has left two people dead. The highway is closed from Cornwall Road near Ashcroft to Spences Bridge. Alternate routes are Highway 97C from Ashcroft and Highway 8 from Spences Bridge. The incident occurred near Basque Road around 7:30 p.m. on July 27, and involved a semi truck and a southbound Honda Civic. Police say that the Honda appears to have crossed the centre line and collided head-on with the semi. When emergency crews, including Ashcroft Fire Rescue, arrived on scene the semi was off the road and on fire. Both the driver of the semi and the driver of the Honda — that vehicle’s lone occupant — were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the car was a woman believed to be from the United States. The fire sparked by the semi spread to nearby grasslands, and was dealt with by members of Ashcroft Fire Rescue in order to stop it spreading further, either through the grass or to some nearby outbuildings. Ashcroft firefighters established a containment perimeter and fought the fire before handing over to BC Wildfire Service. As of the morning of July 28, there are indications of hotspots in the area of the burned semi. There is no estimate of when the highway will reopen. For more information and updates on the highway’s status, check www.drivebc.ca.

In Cache Creek water restrictions are lifted but please be conscious of your water use. The weather will be very hot moving forward and we want to make sure our firefighters always have enough water available for fire protection. HUGE THANK YOU to our Public Works crew who worked late last night to get everything up and running.

Our local BC Transit has a new schedule -- on August 3 for #AshcroftBC, #CacheCreek & #ClintonBC riders! They're also adding local, door-to-door service in Cache Creek Running every Wednesday and Friday, trip slots are available between 9:15am-3:40pm. Call them 1 business day ahead to book.

From Interior Health; In addition to the provincial briefing, here are some additional current numbers: As of today, 78 cases in individuals from Interior Health are currently linked to the Kelowna cluster. 12 additional cases from other jurisdictions are also linked to the cluster (Vancouver Coastal (5) and Fraser Health (7)). The total cases associated with the cluster is now 90 – investigations into recent cases are ongoing. Interior Health is reporting no new cases at Kelowna General Hospital or at the Oliver farm over the weekend. The more people you hang out with, the higher your risk of being exposed to and spreading #COVID19 - keep your bubble tight and hang out with the same close friends or family. Do your part: #SocializeSafely. That means, staying home if you're sick (no exceptions here), keep gatherings small and outdoors, don't share food, drinks, or smokes, and don't gather with people you don't know. Ask yourself: #WhatWouldDrHenryDo

Provincially COVID has 81 new cases, including seven epi-linked cases since we reported on Friday, for a total of 3,500 cases in British Columbia. "There are 264 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,043 people who tested positive have recovered. "Of the total COVID-19 cases, 11 people are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. "Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,064 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,800 in the Fraser Health region, 143 in the Island Health region, 353 in the Interior Health region, 80 in the Northern Health region and 60 cases of people who reside outside of Canada. 

The YWCA Metro Vancouver Women of Distinction Awards presented by Scotiabank is thrilled to announce BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, MD MPH FRCPC, as the recipient of the 2020 Icon Award. Selected internally by the YWCA, the Icon Award recognizes an extraordinary woman for her achievements throughout her lifetime.

The public health agency in British Columbia has updated its list of tips for sex and intimacy during the pandemic, with detailed guidelines and frank advice for keeping you and your partner safe. The fact sheet from the B.C. Center for Disease Control (BCCDC) said masturbation is the most risk-free choice — "you are your safest partner" — and that your next-safest sex partner is someone in your household, or someone who has close contact with you and nobody else. But officials have also acknowledged not everyone has sex exclusively with a single, live-in partner.