COVID-19 Pandemic

The City is taking its lead on the COVID-19 pandemic from public health officials at the Province of B.C. Our top priorities are the health of our staff and the community and keeping essential City services like emergency services, water treatment and waste management operating to minimize the impact on residents and businesses. 

The City encourages residents to follow all provincial health orders and guidance. 

City Hall is temporarily closed daily from noon to 1 p.m. as part of the City’s most recent COVID-19 business continuity planning.

On January 4, British Columbia Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry asked businesses to reactivate their COVID-19 safety plans to help prevent business closures given the rate of transmission, the short incubation period, and the high number of people who are getting ill from the Omicron variant. She anticipates that as many as one-third of any workforce may become ill with COVID-19 and may not be able to report to work at any one time.

To support this, we are staggering the number of staff working together in person at various locations. The daily one-hour closure of City Hall will be in place to allow staff working from City Hall to break for lunch.

Reporting breaches of Provincial Health Orders

Residents can report clear breaches of:

• provincial health orders to Castlegar RCMP's non-emergency line at 250.365.7721.
• businesses failing to follow the BC Vaccine Card Provincial Health Order to Interior Health at EPHCOVID19@interiorhealth.ca.

Information from the Province of B.C.

The Province of B.C.'s COVID-19 website has resources for navigating many topics related to the pandemic. The Province also has a dedicated information line at 1.888.COVID19.

Vaccination information

Mayor and Council are encouraging the community to follow the direction of provincial health officials and roll up their sleeves to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Castlegar residents can find the most up-to-date information at interiorhealth.ca. General vaccine information is available at gov.bc.ca/VaxForBC and British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC).

If you think you might have COVID-19

If you're experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, call 8-1-1 at any time. Symptoms are often similar to common colds and flus and include fever, sore throat, coughing, sneezing and difficulty breathing.

City Services

The City encourages residents to do business with the City online whenever possible. Many of the City’s services are available through the City’s website at castlegar.ca.

The City of Castlegar is supporting the community and businesses as they navigate through the impacts of COVID-19.

Important Links

• Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce
• Interior Health Authority
• BC Centre for Disease Control
• Province of B.C.
• Public Health Agency of Canada
• Government of Canada
• BC Centre for Substance Abuse

Community Information

Library: Visit the Castlegar & District Library Website or call 250.365-6611.

Recreation facilities: Visit the Regional District of Central Kootenay Recreation.

Low income and vulnerable residents: Contact 250.608.1047 or connect with the Castlegar Community Harvest Food Bank on Facebook.

Seniors: Contact 250.608.0706 or follow Kootenay IRIS on Facebook.

Businesses: Visit the Chamber of Commerce Website or call 250.365.6313.

Childcare and community services: Contact the Trail & Castlegar Childcare Resource & Referral Program at 250.364.2980 or connect with Kootenay Family Place on Facebook.