B.C.’s top doctor says some people from Alberta have brought COVID-19 with them to British Columbia, and she’s asking people to bring their travel manners with them instead.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says she is closely watching the situation in B.C.’s neighbouring jurisdictions, when asked if she is concerned as cases in our eastern neighbour are spiking much quicker than here.
“What we need to focus on is ensuring that when we’re here, we’re doing the things that keep us all safe, here,” she said on Monday. “And if people are here from Alberta, whether they live here or whether they’re visiting from Alberta, then we need to ensure that they are part of our team in doing the right things here, as well.”
Over the weekend, B.C. reported 81 new COVID-19 cases and two deaths, while Alberta reported 304 cases and eight new deaths in that same time frame.
“I know my colleagues in Alberta are working very hard to make sure that they are controlling their outbreak as well,” she added. “It’s taken a different trajectory than ours. We invite Albertans when they are here to make sure they are doing the things we need them to do as well.”
The border between the two provinces was never officially closed, though officials in both provinces advised against non-essential travel at the height of the pandemic.
Restrictions in B.C. were loosened as part of Phase 3 of its restart plan, allowing for inter-provincial travel. Alberta, which is still in Phase 2 of its restart plan, advises against non-essential travel outside the province, which will be allowed in Stage 3, though there is no timeline for when that could happen just yet.
Henry says both provinces are closely interconnected, noting that people have several reasons why they may need to cross the border.
“Obviously, I’m concerned about what’s happening all around us. In Alberta absolutely,” she added. “We know there’s a lot of families that are connected across Alberta. We know that many parts of BC are much closer to Alberta than they are to health care services in the Lower Mainland for example.”
Meanwhile, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control now lists 16 possible coronavirus exposures on domestic flights involving Vancouver or Kelowna since June 3. That is addition to 15 international flights involving Vancouver in that same time-frame.
