A major COVID-19 update today in B.C.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has announced a restriction of all gatherings of more than 250 people anywhere in the province. A similar move was made by Alberta made today as well, and in Metro-Seattle yesterday.
“It is a number we think has some rationale to it, in that over that large group it’s really challenging to put into place those social distancing measures that protect people and prevent transmission of respiratory infections,” she said.
Dr. Henry is also advising against all non-essential travel outside of Canada, including to the United States, because of COVID-19.
“It’s clear at this time that the evolving situation, both in the United States and globally, is a risk for all of us,” she added. “And we are strongly advising people not to travel.”
Added Health Minister Adrian Dix, “that means no quarts of milk in Bellingham, no trips to Disneyland, no trips to Paris or Berlin or Boise,” he said. “Anyone who chooses to travel outside of travel must stay away from work or school for 14-days upon their return. That responsibility is what we owe to our fellow citizens.”
Dr. Henry says it will be up to community groups to control crowd sizes. Workplaces are also asked to see how to increase space between people, and people are asked to work from home, and to travel separately, if possible.
At this point, officials said the province was not ready to cancel schools, and will use spring break to consult with stakeholders about the way forward.
New Cases
Health officials also announced seven new cases in B.C. of the virus – all in the Lower Mainland – bringing the provincial total to 53.
Three of the new cases are at Hollyburn House, a seniors’ care home in West Vancouver. Two are staff members – a man and woman in their 40’s and they are both in isolation at home. The third is a man in his 90’s who lives at the facility.
One of the affected staff members also worked at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, where another outbreak happened.
Three of the other cases announced today are travel-related. One is a man in his 40’s who recently returned from the United Kingdom. Two more are a couple – a man and a woman – in their 40’s who were recently in Egypt, in a tour.
The other case is a man in his 50’s, and officials are still working to figure out how he contracted the virus. In addition, officials said six of the cases have fully recovered.
Of B.C.’s 53 total cases, just one person is in hospital, in a stable condition. It is a woman in her 60’s in the Fraser Health region.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus a pandemic.
There have been at least 138 cases of COVID-19 identified in Canada.