There have been no new COVID-19 deaths since yesterday’s update from Dr. Bonnie Henry, as she announced 11 new cases of COVID-19 today.

Its the first day there have been no deaths to report in ‘several weeks’ according to Dr. Henry, making May 26 the first time since April 17 where there were no new deaths announced on a weekday.

“And we want to be able to do this every day, so no more families have to deal with the loss of somebody they love,” Dr. Henry said. “So I encourage everybody to continue to show patience and understanding and have confidence that what we are doing is the best that we can to protect our families and our communities.”

There have now been 2,541 test positive cases and 161 deaths. None of the new cases were in Interior Health, which is still at 194 cases.

Henry says there are 37 people are in hospital, of which seven are in critical care. As well, 2,122 people – or about 83 per cent of cases – are considered to have recovered, leaving 258 active cases of COVID-19 in British Columbia.

Many B.C. businesses – including restaurants, hair salons, and dentists’ offices, started reopening last week as Phase 2 of the restart plan got underway last Tuesday. Henry says it is possible there will be an increase in the number of cases as the province continues to make the transition to reopen more activities.

“And we are now one week into Phase 2 with more people out, and more businesses open but we cannot go back to our pre-COVID days,” Henry said. “We need to find that balance that allows us get things moving but not going back to the place where this virus can take off and infect a large number of people in a short period of time.”

She says she understands that some businesses and people may be anxious or frustrated as the province charts its course forward.

“Some people think it’s too slow, some people think it’s too fast. It’s a balance and I know that is very hard to achieve,” Henry said. “It has been a learning experience for all of us the past week to find that right balance.”