B.C. has announced seven new cases of COVID-19, including a new outbreak at a second care home on Vancouver’s North Shore. The provincial health officer is recommending against all travel outside of Canada, and is calling for the cancellation of gatherings of more than 250 people.
B.C. has announced seven new cases of COVID-19, including an outbreak at a second care home on Vancouver’s North Shore, and is calling for strict limits on travel and public gatherings.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Thursday that she is recommending against all non-essential travel outside of Canada, and calling for the cancellation of any gatherings of more than 250 people.
“It’s become apparent that this is a rapidly changing situation and the risk for us in B.C., while it hasn’t changed a lot here, the risk has increased all around us. Our understanding of the situation has also changed,” Henry said.
“We are strongly advising people not to travel.”
Isaac Caverzan was heading to Las Vegas for a graduation trip when he learned about the limits on travel.
“Fourteen days of quarantine for a weekend vacation, it’s a lot,” he said, from the Vancouver International Airport.
He and his family decided to cancel the trip.
“It’s frustrating, it’s a gut-punch,” Caverzan said. “But it’s better safe than sorry and that was the last thing for us.”
The province has now identified 53 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including one death. The majority of B.C.’s cases have been relatively mild, and as of Thursday, only one patient was being treated in hospital and six have fully recovered.
Watch: Dr. Bonnie Henry recommends against