Dr, Bonnie Henry June 22, 2020.
Image Credit: YOUTUBE / Province of B.C.
June 22, 2020 - 4:21 PM
B.C.'s top doctor said moving ahead with the provincial restart plan is a "balancing act."
"When COVID-19 is anywhere the risk really is everywhere," Dr. Bonnie Henry said today, June 22, noting that the province will learn more about phase 3 of its restart this week.
"As we're transitioning and more things are opening up, it is likely we're going to have more cases," she said.
It was a known risk even as the province phase two, she said.
"So that's why it's so fundamental that we continue to do the things that we've been doing that have worked."
Those things include maintaining physical distances in retail stores and other places where there are higher numbers of people and keeping social bubbles small.
Those measures help reduce personal risk and help public health manage outbreaks.
Dr. Henry said she recognizes that there is that there's a pent up need to reengage in life as it once was and the phased in restart allows for some of that while keeping the safety precautions in place.
"We are seeing more people out and about, we are seeing more people going into work," said Dr. Henry.
"We're learning as we go, the processes that keep us safe in doing that. It is concerning to me when I hear things, as I heard about on the weekend in the entertainment district, like fights that happen. And, you know, some of it is a pent up concern and anxiety. It's also one of the reasons why we need to continue to move forward and to open things up and give people avenues to congregate."
People are social beings but, she said, they need to be social in a way that protects us all while recognizing the possibility of it leading to more cases.
As travel opens up, and Canadians from other provinces head into B.C., Dr. Henry said she's not "particular worried" about the risks so long as what has been learned to keep people safe is kept top of mind.
From Friday to Monday there were a total of 32 new cases of COVID-19 in British Columbia, bringing the total to 2,822 people infected.
That includes 954 people in the Vancouver coastal health region, 1,474 in the Fraser Health region, 131 people on Vancouver Island health region, 198 people in the Interior Health region and 65 people in Northern Health.
Over the past three days there has also been one additional death from COVID-19. There have been 2,471 British Columbians who have fully recovered from the coronavirus.
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