A new record high 139 cases of COVID-19 in a 24-hour period in British Columbia on the day kids returned back to school for the first time.
It brings the total to 6,730 cases, with active cases at a new record as well at 1,412 people.
None of the new cases today were in the Interior, which remains at 462. There are now 42 people in hospital with the novel coronavirus, the highest since May 21, and there are 14 people in critical care.
Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry is asking people to be ‘steady’ in their actions because of what lies ahead. She says we have created a new normal we must live in, noting this could last for months, maybe years.
Henry adds people returning to schools will need to learn new routines, noting that public health teams are there to support people. She says B.C. schools have made it through measles and meningitis outbreaks and they will make it through COVID-19 as well.
“I think it is important to recognize all the work done by educators, principals, parents to get schools ready this year,” she said. “We will all be learning over the next few weeks.”
She says if there is an outbreak at a school, the school community will be alerted. If the risk goes beyond the school community, the public will also be notified.
“We will be announcing any school outbreaks as well so that everybody knows what is going on as our school system goes back to normal, our new normal,” said Henry.
She added that we have created a new normal that we must live in, noting this pandemic could last for months, maybe years, and is urging people to play it safe and stick to reliable sources like the B.C. Centre for Disease Control for information about the virus.
“Working together to control a common foe – like we have with this COVID-19 – builds our resiliency and is what will get us through,” she said. Let’s all make those right choices that will help keep cases low and continue to allow us to engage in important social and economic activities that we need.”
Health Minister Adrian Dix too echoed a similar message, urging people to ‘stick to six’ people when it comes to interactions with others.
“Remember to choose from the same group of people,” he said. “Each one of us probably has a list of things that they used to be able to do that they’d like to be able to do again, and hopefully in those moments, we remember what Dr. Henry has said, which is that it’s not forever, even if it feels like it.”
Dix added that while people may be tired of restrictions, large gatherings need to stop.
“Each one of us probably has a list of things we can’t do that we’d like to do again. Its’ not forever even if it feels like it — it’s for now,” Dix said.
There were no new deaths were reported today, and there are 3,109 people in isolation after being exposed to COVID-19.
A further 5,190 people are now considered to have recovered from COVID-19, about 76 per cent of the total case load.
