An epidemiologist at the University of British Columbia is warning people not to get complacent as the number of novel coronavirus cases in B.C. trends downwards.
“We’ve got an upcoming long weekend where people usually get together with family and friends so we’re hoping, despite the warm weather, people are going to continue to practise social distancing and not gather and not affect our numbers as time progresses towards the summer,” Stephen Hoption Cann told Simi Sara on CKNW’s Mornings with Simi.
B.C. has seen a much better trend in its reported numbers of COVID-19 infections than Ontario or Quebec, but Cann explained that this could actually pose a risk as the Easter long weekend approaches.
“The message has been put out there but if people see positive signs maybe they think we’ve done what we need to do and we can go back to normal and we’re really not at that stage yet.”
As Canadians across the country and people around the world continue to grapple with the impact of the pandemic, Cann says the lessons we learn now may be critical next year.
“It’ll for sure be back next winter so there may be a bit of social distancing that we need to do next fall depending on when the availability of a vaccine comes to Canada, so we’ll have to wait and see.”
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