VANCOUVER -- A shelter-in-place order that had been in effect on a Vancouver Island First Nation since January has been lifted.
As of Friday, residents of the Cowichan Tribes First Nation can gather outdoors in consistent groups of up to 10 people, get haircuts and visit restaurants with their immediate households.
Provincial public health orders banning indoor gatherings still apply, however.
The nation first implemented its shelter-in-place order on Jan. 6 in response to a steep rise in the number of COVID-19 cases it was seeing.
As of Thursday, there had been 268 cases of the coronavirus among Cowichan Tribes members since Dec. 31, according to a video update shared on the nation's Facebook page.
A total of 103 households had been affected, and three people who had tested positive were still in isolation as of Thursday, and one person was hospitalized, but not in intensive care.
The Cowichan Tribes First Nation has been hard hit by the pandemic, with four community members dying as a result of COVID-19.
In its announcement of the end of the shelter-in-place order, the nation also shared details of a coronavirus vaccination clinic for community members, which will be held on March 24 and 25.
