On the day B.C. announced plans to further ease COVID-19 restrictions, it reported its lowest single-day case count in almost 11 months.

The province says there were 29 new virus cases on Tuesday and no deaths from the virus. The last time there were that few of cases in one day was early August of 2020.

Interior Health saw 10 new cases, more than any other health authority, although that number is still well below the rolling weekly average in IH. Elsewhere, there were seven cases in Fraser Health, seven in Vancouver Coastal Health, three in Island Health and two among non-Canadian residents. Northern Health saw zero new cases.

Active cases are down to 876 today, which is 54 fewer cases than yesterday, while hospitalizations are up to 110 (three more than yesterday) and 34 people are in intensive care (three fewer).

Today’s update on COVID-19 in the province comes as health officials announced that B.C. will move to Step 3 out of 4 in its Restart Plan on Thursday. That will include masks no longer being mandatory but still recommended for people not fully vaccinated, and there will be no group limits for indoor and outdoor dining, all liquor service restrictions will be lifted, and casinos and nightclubs will be allowed to reopen with a limited capacity.

“This is a significant transition for all of us. So we encourage everyone to be respectful of others who may be moving at a slower pace, as we take this next step forward to put the COVID-19 pandemic behind us and make this a summer of hope and rejuvenation,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says.

On the flip side, the other public health emergency continues to get worse month over month. Today, the BC Coroners Service said there were 160 fatal overdoses in B.C. in May, including seven in Kamloops, as the province reported more than 100 fatal overdoses for a 15th straight month.

There have also been 851 fatal drug overdoses in the province this year, which is a record for the first five months in any year.