The Provincial Ministry of Environment has announced an open-burning restriction for all High Smoke Sensitivity Zones throughout B.C. which will affect many urban centres, including Prince George.
The restriction was put in place by the request of, and in coordination with, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
In an official statement, the Ministry said: “there is strong evidence that exposure to air pollution increases susceptibility to respiratory viral infections.”
Essentially, there are concerns that air pollution may lead to more COVID-19 infections, or an increase in severity for existing cases.
An interactive map, outlining the which areas are subject to smoke sensitivity, can be found online.