Families should hold off setting up playdates or doubling their social bubbles too quickly, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on the eve of the premier’s announcement about easing of COVID-19 restrictions in B.C.
“The orders and restrictions we have put in place are still in place,” Henry said at her briefing at the B.C. legislature on Tuesday. “So please don’t start planning your playdates and expanding your bubble too soon. We need to hold the line right now.”
She also gave a thumbs down to anyone thinking of running out and getting that long-awaited hug or shaking hands or embarking on non-essential travel abroad this summer. Stick close to home and enjoy B.C.’s beauty, she urged.
“We have put the brakes on it for sure and that’s a testament to the work that everybody has done across this province but we have not yet stopped this train,” said Henry. “And as the modelling has shown, moving too quickly can undo all the work that we have done.”
Henry announced eight new cases of COVID-19. The daily count hasn’t been that low — fewer than 10 — since March 12 when seven cases were announced.
There are 124 cases on Vancouver Island with no additional cases announced Tuesday.
Despite decreasing numbers of new cases Henry cautioned those who may be imagining a grand re-opening of B.C. that 22 outbreaks remain at long-term care, assisted living and acute care facilities.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix reminded British Columbians that sectors that have been opening in other jurisdictions — such as garden shops and construction sites — have never been closed in British Columbia.
Dix called the upcoming season “a summer of renewal” but it will be rooted in continued vigilance.
Henry wants everyone to keep their number of contacts low, particularly if they share a household with people vulnerable to developing a severe disease.
“Outside is always preferred over inside,” and “few faces and big spaces,” were some of the phrases offered at the briefing.
There are restrictions that will not change over the coming weeks and months, said Henry. Vigilant hand washing, physical distancing and staying at home when sick remain a must, she said. “And we need to consider the use of non-medical masks for those short periods of time when we may not be able to keep our physical distances.”
She called on people to be tolerant and not be quick to judge the behaviour of others.
There have been 2,232 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C. since the first case was discovered on Jan. 20. Of those, 1,472 have recovered.
Four more people have died from the virus, three in the Fraser Health Authority and one in the Vancouver Coastal health region. A total of 121 people have died from COVID-19 in B.C., four of them on Vancouver Island.
There are 78 people in hospital, including three on Vancouver Island, with 21 people in intensive care units, none of whom live on the Island.
Dix said there are 3,959 vacant hospital beds, serving as surge capacity for COVID-19 patients. Hospital occupancy is at about 64.5% of capacity, and critical care occupancy is at 46.6%.
