British Columbia’s top doctor has released revised orders that will govern how businesses such as restaurants and hair salons will operate when the province moves into Phase 2 of its COVID-19 restart plan.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry revealed the new orders as she announced 21 new cases of the virus and one new death in the province during her Saturday briefing.
The newly revised orders — which Henry acknowledged were strict — deal with capacity limits and physical distancing rules, and won’t take effect until Tuesday.
Businesses will also be subject to inspection by WorkSafeBC and public health officers, and must make their COVID-19 protection plans available to the public.
“We’ve been looking at what people have been doing around the world, how it has worked and what are the important measures that seem to make a difference in protecting people, even as we increase our connections and our economy,” said Henry.
Henry added that non-medical masks may remain useful to help slow the spread of the virus in situations, such as transit or in a barber shop, where physical distancing can not be maintained.
Henry said more than 79 per cent of B.C.’s 2,428 test-positive cases have fully recovered.
Of the remaining 355 active cases, 49 patients were in hospital Saturday, 11 of them in intensive care.
The province’s death toll from the virus stands at 141.
Henry urged the public to spend the rest of their weekend thinking over their plans to safely and slowly expand their social circles in the coming weeks.
“We have to move carefully, and we have to move thoughtfully. Much of the spread of COVID-19 has occurred because in the early stage of symptoms it’s often mild, and people may not realize it,” she said.
Henry said in the weeks that follow, health officials will be closely monitoring for new cases of the virus, particularly those that are not linked to previously known outbreak clusters.
She said officials will also be watching the number of people hospitalized with the virus — particularly as scheduled surgeries get back underway — to ensure hospitals have the necessary surge capacity should the virus begin spreading quickly again.
Henry said Saturday there were no new community outbreaks in the province, and that health officials were still investigating an outbreak reported Friday at a Coquitlam fruit and vegetable packing plant.
Three workers at the Oppenheimer Group who sometimes carpool together have been diagnosed, but Henry said the outbreak was caught early and the company has sufficient safety measures in place to remain open.
Henry also confirmed an outbreak at Abbotsford Regional Hospital’s intensive care unit, where six staff and two patients have contracted COVID-19.
The B.C. Nurses’ Union says four of the staff are nurses.
Henry confirmed an outbreak first reported Saturday at the Abbotsford Regional Hospital. She said the outbreak is in the intensive care unit and involves six staff members and two patients.
The B.C. Nurses’ Union says four of the staff are nurses.