B.C. has recorded 31 new cases and six deaths since Friday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a Monday (July 6) press briefing.
Nine of those were recorded on Saturday, 15 on Sunday and seven as of Monday. The province has also recorded six deaths since Friday. Four of those deaths were long term care home residents in Vancouver Coastal Health and two were in Fraser Health, including one death from Langley Lodge that has now been attributed to COVID-19. These deaths bring B.C.’s death toll from the virus to 183
There are currently 16 people in hospital with the virus, nine in Fraser Health and seven in Fraser Coastal Health. Total test positive cases in B.C. are at 166. Of the 16 hospitalized patients, four are in ICU.
Henry said that although B.C. has been in Phase 3 for nearly two weeks, many of the best practices – including small groups of close friends and family and masks when physical distancing isn’t possible – are still in place.
“These new normal rules are very doable. We can live with this.”
Speaking to recent Black Lives Matter and anti-racism protests, Henry said cases here in B.C. have not been linked to the gatherings. She said mask-wearing and holding the protests outside likely contributed to keeping them safe from virus transmission.
Asked about the surge of new cases in the U.S., Henry said she doesn’t see travel to and from the U.S. happening through the summer. She said “a number of our new cases” in Canada are either people returning from the U.S., or people who came into contact with those people, although she was not aware of cases linked to Americans travelling for leisure in B.C.
The provincial health officer did have a message for any Americans crossing the border to drive up north: “If you’re on your way to Alaska, you’re on your way to Alaska.”
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