Photo: Castanet webcam

"This is a wake up call."

That was the reaction of Kelowna city councillor Ryan Donn upon hearing news at least eight people have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending private gatherings and visiting downtown restaurants and bars over a 12-day period.

"We are still in the middle of a pandemic," said Donn.

"There's still social distancing needed. We still need to wash our hands."

According to Interior Health, those infected may have attended gatherings in downtown Kelowna and along the waterfront from June 25 to July 6.

Interior Health is advising anyone in the area during those days may have been exposed.

"We have all these guidelines in place in Phase 3. We don't want to go back to Phase 2," said Donn.

"And, there were six people from outside our boundaries, and now they're going back to where they came from."

The identities of the restaurants and pubs visited by the eight people infected are not being identified by Interior Health at this time.

Interior Health medical health officer Dr. Silvina Mema said the health authority doesn't yet have a complete list, and don't want to create a false sense of security.

"We don’t have evidence that the cases got the disease at these businesses, only that they were there while sick," she said in a release to Castanet News.

Donn says if you look at a map of Canada then the United States, there's some pride in the fact we have done as well as we have in Canada.

"That comes from taking action and listening to the professionals, and we don't have politicians disagreeing. They're all agreeing," he said.