B.C.’s Health Minister says the province is preparing for whatever the Fall will bring with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

Adrian Dix says COVID-19 has and will continue to be with us for some time right across the province and he is asking people to stay vigilant.

“The last two months have shown us just how quickly and how rapidly it moves into our lives and in communities,” he said.

“The outbreak in Kelowna is an indication of that. We went in a short period of time from two cases to almost 100 cases and how quickly our behaviour when we failed to use the knowledge and the skills that we’ve been taught to stop the spread can bring the disease to our front door.”

Dix and Dr. Bonnie Henry both say the bar to stay home if you’re sick will be lower in these coming months.

“COVID-19 this fall will again be knocking at our doors. This time it is disguised as some activity we missed, a big group of friends we have not seen in a while, something we longed to do again,” Dix added. “COVID-19 is aggressively knocking at our doors and we must not let COVID-19 in.”

Dix adds B.C. is also preparing hospitals for a possible influx of influenza as well as COVID-19 cases this fall. He says the province is also adding more contact tracers and additional workers for long-term-care homes, but he notes people right across the province also have a role to play as well as we head into September.

“Limits of visitors in temporary rentals at five, limits on tables at restaurants at six – these limits must guide us in our own homes,” Dix said. “So as we turn our minds to the Labour Day weekend, lets turn our attention to making our long weekend plan to stop the spread for the big things and the little things we do during the long weekends.”

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the recent increase in COVID-19 cases is concerning.

She says the increase in cases isn’t a second wave, but it needs to be flattened to prevent a surge of people flooding the healthcare system.