Despite milestone, province is bracing

No British Columbians died of COVID-19 between Monday and Tuesday, the first 24-hour period in several weeks without any fatalities due to the disease.

But even as she said she was pleased to report the absence of fatalities, medical health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry warned of a possible resurgence in cases as the province begins to reopen.

“We may see an increase in cases and that is what we, in public health, are preparing for,” Henry said during the province’s daily COVID-19 update.

“It’s why we are making some of the restrictions that we have in place around numbers of people that can gather.”

Some people may believe things are opening up too quickly, with many formerly closed businesses having restarted and classes set to resume in schools next Monday, Henry said.

But others may be frustrated with the phased re-start, believing it’s too much of a go-slow approach, she said.

“It is a balance and I know that is very hard to achieve,” Henry said. “It has been a learning experience for all of us in the past week trying to find that right balance.

“Today, we were able to report no new deaths for the first time in quite a few weeks and we want to be able to do this everyday, so no more families have to deal with the loss of someone they love,” she added.

Eleven more people tested positive for COVID-19 since Monday, bringing the total to 2,541. The number for Interior Health is 194 patients, unchanged from

Monday.

There were no new outbreaks in care facilities or in community settings, Henry said.

“We’re obviously pleased that there are no deaths to report today and only 11 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C.,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Although Okanagan College on Tuesday announced the complete cancellation of its day camp programs for students in K-12, Henry said there is no ban on such programs.

“We will be encouraging people to focus on day camps,” she said. “There is not a situation that we can see this summer where overnight camps for school-aged kids can be done in a way that will prevent transmission of this virus.”