VANCOUVER -- A photo taken recently in a private dining room at a Yaletown restaurant shows 18 men standing shoulder to shoulder, appearing not to physically distance, and one of those men is the head of a specialized unit for acutely ill patients at Vancouver General Hospital.

The photo was snapped on July 9 at a meeting of a group called the Vancouver Gentlemen’s Society, which claims to be a philanthropic organization, and later posted on that group’s Instagram page, before being deleted after inquiries from CTV News.

"During the last meeting social distancing measures were strictly adhered to during the dinner and the meeting. Members were seated in small groups and did not mingle," the club said in a statement.

In the picture, Dr. Hussein Kanji can be seen third from the left with his hand resting on the arm of the man beside him.

None of the 18 men in the photo is wearing a mask.

Dr. Kanji is a medical director of critical care services for Vancouver Coastal Health.

He could not be reached for comment Monday and VCH declined to make him available for an interview.

"Those are things that we tell people to be cautious about, and yes, everybody should be following the rules," said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. "I understand that this was an event where there was distancing and they came together for a short period of time."

According to provincial guidelines for restaurants to open during this stage of the pandemic, "there must be no more than six patrons seated at one table or booth or standing together, even if they belong to the same party."

Earlier this month, health authorities linked an outbreak of COVID-19 in Kelowna to a pair of indoor Canada Day parties where physical distancing guidelines were not adequately followed.

"So, these things happen. It’s certainly not what we would expect and not what we would want people to do, and we need to model the behaviour that we’re looking for in others," said Dr. Henry.

According to sources, a second man in the photo works as an emergency room doctor with Fraser Health but CTV News has been unable to verify his identity.