^Credit: Whistler Blackcomb
Whistler Blackcomb was ordered to end their season prematurely after a large number of COVID-19 P1 variant cases were detected near the resort.
The P1 variant is thought to have originated in Brazil, and there are more cases of it in British Columbia than anywhere else outside of Brazil.
Whistler has nearly 200 of the 877 confirmed cases of the P1 variant in British Columbia, according to The Guardian.
The P1 variant is known to be highly contagious, and is more fatal among young people.
The virus has ripped through the young employees at Whistler that are crammed into shared living spaces due to the cost of living in the resort town.
Yikes. The more this story develops, the more I want to put my fingers in my ears and shout “la la la la la la” to keep the bad news from reaching me, but I’m thinking about the people at Whistler who lost their seasonal jobs earlier than expected, and for those that have been infected with the dangerous virus.
What a terrible way to end a relatively-successful ski season, and I hope things turn around quickly there in BC.