There are now 2,835 cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in B.C. after health officials announced 13 new cases Tuesday.
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there are 960 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), 1,480 in Fraser Health, 131 on Vancouver Island, 199 in Interior Health and 65 in Northern Health
There have been no new outbreaks in long-term care facilities. In total, six long-term care or assisted-living facilities and one in acute care facility continue to have active outbreaks.
There have been no new community outbreaks, and public health teams are providing support for the ongoing community outbreaks.
There has been one new death.
There are currently 16 people in acute care in hospital and seven are in intensive care.
There are 174 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 2,491 people who tested positive have recovered.
Henry states that the province has been monitoring its COVID-19 restart activities closely and modifying its approach. This includes amending the provincial health officer’s order for food and liquor service establishments to make restaurants and pubs safer for employees and patrons.
“The amended order goes step in step with enhanced worker guidance that is now available on the WorkSafeBC website," she said.“The requirements for this sector have been adjusted in response to small clusters of new cases in businesses, as employees spend more time together and in recognition that a safe number of patrons is highly dependent on the amount of space within each location, not the restaurant capacity.
“Food service owners need to remember that protecting your employees and patrons requires layers of protection in the kitchen and in the dining area. Plans need to include such things as frequent handwashing, increased cleaning, using barriers in kitchens and dining areas, and giving lots of space between tables.
Henry adds that patrons should ensure they are healthy and in a small group before heading to a local establishment. Further, she notes that you should check to see the WorkSafeBC safety plan clearly posted and that physical distancing measures and barriers in place.
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