COVID-19: B.C.'s top doctor confident schools can safely reopen Monday
Tiffany Crawford
6 hrs ago
© DON CRAIG
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry provides an update on
COVID-19.
As
B.C. marks the second week of its restart plan, new cases of the
novel 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 it can safely restart school on 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
acknowledged there has been concern among educators and parents,
especially those with immune-compromised relatives.
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“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,” she said.
Henry
added that health officials support families deciding what is best
for their kids, whether it is continuing to stay home and learn
online, or return to school in a different environment.
Henry
urged those returning to school to maintain a safe physical
distance, continue vigorous hand-washing 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
patients are in intensive care.
There
were no deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, Henry said
during a news conference Saturday afternoon.
Of
those, 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 care
homes and acute-care units.
One
of the outbreaks declared over was at Vancouver’s Haro Park
Centre, which saw 13 residents die from COVID-19.
Outbreaks
are confirmed over when four weeks, or two incubation periods, pass
with no new positive tests.
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 is 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 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 all the sacrifices made
in the last two months and to keep the curve flat.
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