Health officials have reported no new cases of the coronavirus on Vancouver Island.
On Monday afternoon, Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, announced that 26 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in British Columbia over the past 72 hours, but said none of them were within the Island Health region.
Officials have not provided an update on the COVID-19 situation since the afternoon of June 26 and Henry announced that no one has died from the virus in British Columbia over the past 72 hours.
The total number of COVID-19 cases recorded in British Columbia now stands at 2,904, with 1,529 cases in the Fraser Health region, 979 cases in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 131 cases in the Island Health region, and 65 cases in the Northern Health region.
There are currently 153 active cases of COVID-19 in British Columbia. A total of 18 people in British Columbia are currently in hospital with the virus, and of those, five are in intensive care.
During Monday’s update, Henry confirmed that there has been a “new exposure” event of COVID-19 at a strip club in Vancouver called Brandi’s Exotic Show Lounge. She said public health workers are actively contract tracing in an effort to determine how many people could possibly be exposed.
“There were three individuals who tested positive related to that exposure event and because we have not been able to directly contact all of the people who might have been at Brandi’s, a public notification was put out,” she said, adding. “We are at a point now where people are in the incubation period [and] may start showing symptoms of this virus.”
Henry stressed that those people who were at the nightclub need to contact local health officials and said businesses need to take all the necessary precautions to keep their employees safe or they could face potential consequences.
“We can’t afford to have exceptions or half measures,” she said. “Businesses need to be aware that you are responsible for keeping your employees and your patrons safe and you could be liable if appropriate precautions are not taken to protect people when they are in your work.”
As long as COVID-19 is around, everyone remains at risk of potential infection said Henry.
“We have to remember when this virus is anywhere, the risk is everywhere. The risk is to all of us so let’s continue to show that kindness and respect that has gotten us this far,” she said.
B.C.’s top doctor said as the province moves into the third phase of its restart program, British Columbians need to continue to modify their behaviour in order to reduce risk.
“We need to remember that we need to minimize, we need to manage the cases that we do have and we need to modify our activities to make sure we are not putting our community at risk,” she said.
Henry said British Columbians have worked hard to keep the total number of cases low, and must continue to do so. She said also people need to continue to “be kind, and to be calm and to be safe.”
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BREAKING: B.C. health officials report 26 new cases of #COVID19 since Friday, bringing the provincial total to 2,904.
Friday-Saturday: 10 cases
Saturday-Sunday: 14 cases
Sunday-Monday: 2 cases— CHEK News (@CHEK_News) June 29, 2020
Nicholas Pescod
