Sophie Gray

Local Journalism Initiative

Sixteen new cases province wide and an emphasis on staying home this weekend were the focus of yesterday’s provincial update on the COVID-19 crisis.

On top of the sixteen new test positive cases was one more COVID-19 related death of an individual in the Fraser Health region. This brings the total number of deaths in the province to 132.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, did have some good news to share, reporting 1,869 people have officially recovered from the virus, making the provincial survival rate around 78 percent of those who test positive for the virus.

Dr. Henry and Minister of Health Adrian Dix did stress the importance of staying home this weekend, as the province faces a second long weekend during the pandemic.

“If you do not need to go somewhere, even if it’s a second home, even if it’s a place you go to every Victoria Day weekend, the way we can help one another right now is not to engage in non-essential travel,” said Dix.

Dr. Henry said expanding social bubbles gradually can be done safely, using the example of teenagers making arrangements to see a select few friends while maintaining social distancing by agreeing to only include each other in their expanded bubbles. Barbecues were another example she used, saying that if groups are small, outside, and socially distancing, then they are something people can consider.

Outdoor activities are encouraged where contact is kept to a minimum and gatherings stay small.

“Take time to plan out how you’re going to safely include people in your household bubble,” said Dr. Henry. “Think about who you need to protect and who may be higher risk. Your path ahead is based on your personal circumstances.”

As guidance, Dr. Henry gave the public yet another catch phrase to live by, saying “fewer faces and bigger spaces,” will help to keep everybody safe moving forward.

Dr. Henry and Minister Dix also urged British Columbians from all age groups and areas to complete the survey launched yesterday. The survey, said the health authority representatives, is intended to gather a wide variety of data in order to inform officials and expose potential gaps in the pandemic plan going forward.

The survey can be found at www.bccdc.ca/covid19survey.