Today, the federal government announced that it has agreed with the US government to extend the current restrictions on travel between Canada and the US for 30 days. The extended restrictions will now remain in effect until May 20.
There are 29 new cases of COVID-19 and 3 new deaths in long-term care in BC today, bringing the total number of positive cases of the virus in the province to 1,647. Of those cases, 686 are in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region.
There are no new cases of the virus at the Okanagan Correctional Centre or the West Kelowna nursery which has also seen an outbreak, but there are now 70 people connected to the federal correctional facility in Mission who have tested positive for the virus.
Currently, there are 115 people with the virus in the province who are hospitalized, 54 of whom are in critical care.
In today’s briefing, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry again discussed what the next few months may look like as certain public health restrictions begin to be relaxed.
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Responding to a question about large outdoor gatherings like the PNE or Pride parades that commonly take place during the summer, Henry said that such events will not be safe for some time to come. She did say, however, that there would likely be more opportunity for increased social interaction on a much smaller scale over the summer.
Henry also encouraged businesses to begin planning for ways to modify their operations to reduce physical contact through means like limiting the numbers of customers in retail establishments and preserving a combination of online and in-person work.
While the province may begin to consider easing public health restrictions in mid-May, Henry emphasized that this is a best-case scenario and BC is still in a position where the virus could rapidly spread if restrictions are lifted too quickly or too early.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact that we continue to have people who are affected by this, we continue to have outbreaks, we continue to have transmission,” she said.
“The risk of a spike, or another outbreak, or more clusters in our community is something that’s a very real concern for me and we know it continues to happen.”
Stay up to date on UBC information related to COVID-19 by visiting ubyssey.ca/covid-19, the websites of the BCCDC, the Public Health Agency of Canada or the World Health Organization. The province has set up a dedicated COVID-19 phone line at 1-888-COVID19 or text at 1-888-268-4319. For updates on UBC’s response to COVID-19, visit ubc.ca/campus-notifications/
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