Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry said that the recent outbreaks in various poultry plants around the province are a cautionary tale and that the province won't reopen until we have the right safety standards in place on an industry level.
Henry said that we won't be opening hair stylists and other industries that require close personal contact in the near future in response to a question about a petition by barbers and hairstylists asking not to be included in the group of businesses slated to reopen first.
"We will not move forward with opening different sectors until we are ready, until we are sure that they have a plan that is workable and that makes sure we have these precautions in place," said Henry. "It is a bit of a cautionary tale for us that we've seen these outbreaks in the poultry industry. That tells us that we need to make sure that we have the right safety measures in place in each different area of our economy to make sure we can all be comforted and understand that we are opening safely and slowly and methodically."
Premier John Horgan said he would release details on Monday for plans to lift public health restrictions. In response to a question, Henry says she has faced pressure from both sides of the debate about whether or not to reopen, particularly as other provinces begin to to ease restrictions. Henry said B.C. is on a similar timeline as other provinces.
There is one new community outbreak at Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry with three new confirmed cases. There are 50 confirmed cases at Superior Poultry.
Henry said on Monday she will release details about the modelling of how COVID-19 has affected the province speaking specifically to the epidemiology of the people who have been affected. Henry said she's releasing the information because she wants people to understand what drives the decisions behind saftey precautions taken.
Henry highlighted the continued challenge of the COVID-19 cases at the Kearl Lake Plant in Alberta. A number of British Columbians work at the plant which is considered essential work. Henry said that it is vitally important for anyone who has been at the plant since March 24 and their family to follow British Columbian guidelines regarding self isolation and quarantine.
Henry also took a moment to congratulate the graduating class of 2020. She also highlighted a silver lining for the class of 2020. They will have an incredibly unique graduation story being the first to graduate in a pandemic in 100 years. Henry made a direct address to kids and parents encouraging both to contact the children's helpline if they need assistance getting through this difficult time. Henry also encouraged parents and children to stay healthy by getting outside to exercise.
Two weeks after Easter, British Columbia has not experienced any spikes in COVID-19 cases, including small vacation communities, resulting from the limited amount of travel that occurred over the past long weekend according to Henry. She also said she is hopeful that people will take similar precautionary measures on the Victoria Day long weekend.
Information below is current as of 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, 2020.
Cases
- Total confirmed cases in B.C.: 2,171
- New cases since May 1, 2020: 26
- Hospitalized cases: 72
- Intensive care: 23
- COVID-19 related deaths: 114
- Recovered: 1,376
- Long-term care and assisted-living homes currently affected: 21
- Acute-care unit outbreaks: 3
Confirmed cases by region:
- Vancouver Coastal Health: 832
- Fraser Health: 992
- Island Health: 123
- Interior Health: 175
- Northern Health: 49
