Photo: Government of BC flickr
Sophie Gray
Local Journalism Initiative
Dr. Bonnie Henry announced 25 new cases of COVID-19 during the daily provincial address, marking 100 days since the daily briefings began.
“We wanted you to know that the risks of what we now know of as COVID-19, what they could be,” said Dr. Henry. “In the last 100 days we have all watched as the pandemic spread, first in China and then around the world and affected us here in British Columbia and across Canada.”
One of the new cases announced today is in Interior Health, bringing the total in the region to 170. There were also an additional two COVID-19 related deaths in the last 24 hours.
Dr. Henry said that most of these cases remain connected to known outbreaks at the Mission Correctional Facility, long term care homes and food processing facilities. There are no new outbreaks in the province.
Dr. Henry also addressed concerns over migrant workers in the Okanagan. She said there have not been any further outbreaks related to temporary workers after measures were put in place by the provincial government to provide adequate spaces for isolation.
Minister for Health Adrian Dix also spoke, confirming that there will be plans in place next week for starting to reopen the economy to start getting British Columbians into the “new normal”.
Dix also said that part of next week’s plan will cover rescheduling surgeries that were cancelled due to the pandemic.
“Many of the people who have sacrificed the most are the many people, tens of thousands, who have seen scheduled surgeries delayed,” he said. “We’ve bent the curve for COVID-19 and we’re going to bend the curb for those who desperately need surgery as well.”
