B.C. declares public health emergency with 186 cases of COVID-19, 7 deaths
B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. has confirmed 83 new cases of COVID-19. Three more people have died of the novel coronavirus.
She says the province is declaring a public health emergency. B.C. has now identified a total of 186 patients, of whom seven have died.
"This declaration of an emergency allows me to be faster, more streamlined and nimble," Henry told reporters Tuesday.
She said that all bars are ordered to close. Businesses that remain open, including grocery stores and pharmacies, should take measures to ensure social distancing — about one to two metres between all people — and restaurants and cafes that can't meet that requirement must switch to takeout only.
"There are many places in our community that aren't able to meet that criteria … must close," Henry said.
'NOT THE RIGHT TIME' FOR TOURISTS TO VISIT
Henry said she'd also like to see the U.S. border closed to to non-essential visitors.
"People who are just coming as tourists to visit, this is not the right time to do that," Henry said.
Two of the new deaths in B.C. are connected to the ongoing outbreak at Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver and the third is a man in his 80s who died in hospital in the Fraser Health region. All four of B.C.'s previous deaths were also connected to the North Vancouver care home.
Health Minister Adrian Dix described Tuesday as "truly another sombre day," and said all British Columbians need to do their part to protect society's most vulnerable members. That means things like conscientious hand washing, social distancing and staying home if you're sick.
"Dramatic steps can help us prepare ourselves for the weeks and months to come," Dix said.
The province says most COVID-19 patients are recovering at home, but seven people are currently in acute care in hospital.
B.C. recently launched a new online COVID-19 self-assessment tool, and more than 500,000 people have used it to check their symptoms. The province hasn't released the latest data on how many people have been tested so far, but Henry says the numbers are in the thousands every day.
2 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES IN B.C.
Earlier today, Premier John Horgan announced that all kindergarten to Grade 12 schools would remain closed at the end of spring break for an indefinite period of time due to the pandemic.
Finance Minister Carole James also announced the province was advocating for an extension of employment Insurance eligibility to include self-employed and part-time workers.
B.C. is now in the midst of two public health emergencies. The first was declared in 2016 in response to the high number of opioid-related overdose deaths.
"The overdose crisis is ongoing. It's not stopping because we have another crisis," she said. "That's our challenge. It's not either/or. We have to deal with both."
This article was originally published by CBC News.
