With school set to resume Monday, health officer urges vigilance
As B.C. marks the second week of its restart plan, new cases of the coronavirus remain low in the province, something B.C.’s top doctor labelled “very encouraging” on Saturday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she is confident B.C. is in a place where school can be safely restarted Monday, but reminded everyone it is a cautious approach.
“There may be individuals (who test positive for the virus) and we’ll have to watch for that. It is not inconceivable, and it is more likely to be in an adult than a child, but we know that it can happen in both cases,” said Henry.
She said there has been concern among educators and parents, especially those with immune-compromised relatives.
“We recognize that it is a challenge. It’s exciting, but there is some trepidation as people are concerned about what this is going to look like, how it’s going to feel, and ‘how am I going to resist that urge to hug my friends again?’ and those are the things that we are preparing for,” Henry said.
She added that health officials support families deciding what is best for their kids, whether it’s staying home and learning online, or returning to school in a different environment.
Henry urged those returning to school to maintain a safe physical distance, continue rigorous handwashing protocols and to stay home if they feel unwell.
Health officials said there were 11 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday, boosting the provincial total to 2,573. There are 228 active cases, and of those 35 people are in hospital and five are in intensive care.
There were no deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, Henry said during a news conference Saturday.
Of the cases, 902 are in Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region, 1,285 are in Fraser Health, 127 are on Vancouver Island, 195 in the Interior and 64 in the North.
There have been no new outbreaks and two outbreaks at care homes have been declared over, leaving 14 active outbreaks in long-term and acute care homes.
Henry also made an order to ban overnight camps for kids and youth this summer. She said she knows this will be disappointing for many young people, but noted it’s difficult to keep kids apart at overnight camps.
“It’s not forever, but it will be for this summer,” she said.
The virus remains in our communities even though it is at a low level, said Dr. Henry, reminding people not to gather in groups of more than 50. Religious services and large family gatherings remain risky for a resurgence of COVID-19 in B.C., she added.
Henry asked British Columbians not to put aside the sacrifices of the last two months and to keep the curve flat.