www.kamloopsthisweek.com
WEDNESDAY, December 30, 2020
A11
LOCAL NEWS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A visitor from the past arrives in March to warn us to heed health advice and stay home so we can avoid its fate; Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s regular COVID-19 briefings have made them the faces of the fight against the pandemic; With traditional high school graduations shelved, the Kamloops-Thompson school district arranged short, family-only ceremonies for grads, including NorKam senior secondary’s Thaelo Proctor, a Principal’s List recipient, with mom Alexandra and dad Colin in early June; Lil Manzer celebrated her 97th birthday at The Hamlets at Westsyde on April 3. Due to pandemic-related visiting restrictions, Manzer’s family wished her a happy birthday from outside the window; Mayor Ken Christian’s press conferences in the spring were held in the parking lot of Kamloops City Hall, with plenty of space for reporters to practise physical distancing; A run on toilet paper and other household staples was common during the first few weeks of the pandemic. Thankfully, shoppers eventually realized the supply chains were intact and bare shelves became less of a common sight; In March, all city and school district playgrounds were closed due to concerns about transmission of the novel coronavirus via equipment on which kids play. The structures were reopened in June as part of the province’s phased-in reopening plan and with the understanding that the risk of contracting the virus from playground equipment is low.