There are 92 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death from the virus in BC today, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 884. Of those, 444 cases are in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region.
Despite the new death, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that there was a piece of good news to report in that 45 per cent of cases have fully recovered from the virus to date.
Henry also addressed questions about why BC has not put in place a province-wide “lockdown,” like that in California, Washington and other jurisdictions. She said that while the province has opted for a more targeted approach to physical distancing measures, its strategy has much in common with lockdowns being implemented elsewhere, like the closure of schools and certain non-essential businesses.
The clarification comes a day after Henry issued an order prohibiting vendors at farmers markets selling anything other than food.
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Also today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that people showing symptoms of COVID-19 will not be allowed to board domestic flights or passenger trains in a further attempt to slow the spread of the virus Canada-wide. Several provinces are now requiring any travellers entering from a different province to self-isolate for 14 days.
Henry emphasized that it is important to continue to take physical distancing measures seriously so that no new cluster outbreaks emerge and that the epidemic curve in BC continues to flatten.
“We are at that very critical point right now where we need to continue this action together,” she said.
“Now more than ever we need you to keep this up.”
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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