Photo: Government of B.C. Flickr
Osoyoos Times Staff
The B.C. government is extending the provincial state of emergency for another two weeks Premier John Horgan announced in Victoria Wednesday.
Following a cabinet meeting Horgan extended the extraordinary government powers of Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, to continue to use the Emergency Program Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Through this challenging time, British Columbians are leading the way in our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Horgan. “We are starting to see the results of our sacrifice, dedication and hard work, and we must continue to be steadfast in our commitment to keep our communities safe — for ourselves, our loved ones and our workers on the front lines.”
The state of emergency is extended through the end of the day on April 28, 2020.
“British Columbians should be proud of the way we have responded to this crisis. But the work is not over,” Farnworth said in a statement. “We must hold our ground and take all the steps needed to make sure our communities remain safe and our essential service workers are supported in our ongoing efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The provinces emergency powers have been used to create a legal requirement to provide a self-isolation plan to support the federal Quarantine Act, and providing shelter options and support to those returning to B.C.
As of Wednesday 4,700 travellers returned to B.C. with 84 of those in quarantine being “supervised by the federal government,” Horgan said.
When the pandemic restrictions will ease up is still unknown, with preliminary discussions taking place around getting students access to virtual education through this period and eventually back to school, Horgan said.
“If the curve continues and we get positive signals from Dr. (Bonnie) Henry and the modelling in the weeks ahead that we would be able to look at bringing kids back to classrooms, but I look at my colleagues across the country who set arbitrary dates for a return, before the data was in, before the science was confirming that and we’re not going to follow that lead,” Horgan said. “We’re going to look at the numbers as they emerge over the weeks ahead before we make those determinations.”
Due to the early start to prepare for the pandemic, Horgan said B.C. may be in a “better position when the restart happens.”
“When the start-up begins some time in the not-too-distant future again, when the evidence presents itself, I think we’ll be in a good place, but we’re planning for that and have been planning for that for weeks,” Horgan said.
