Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, says she believes B.C. can avoid a second wave of COVID-19 as the province gears up to reopen sectors of the economy.
On Wednesday, Premier John Horgan announced the BC Restart Plan to start reopening the economy amid the pandemic. Starting mid-May, businesses previously ordered to close as per the doctor’s orders be allowed to reopen, with new precautions.
“We do not want to be starting and stopping, starting and stopping,” said B.C.’s top doctor on Wednesday.
“I believe this plan and the way we’ve put it together gives us the tools so that we can increase our contact, our numbers and our safe contacts in a way that keeps us on a steady-state for at least the coming months.”
Dr. Henry says the province will continue to have vigilance in the public health system, testing, contact tracing and careful monitoring of the situation.
The BC Premier says they are moving forward with the Restart Plan cautiously and based on science, but that it could change if COVID-19 surges again in the province.
“If we see a spike, we’ll respond, but Dr. Henry will give us advice on that,” explained Horgan.
Dr. Henry says this new plan should be able to get B.C. through the next couple of months without a resurgence of the virus, but she worries about other illnesses coming in the fall.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the fall. We don’t know if there will be a resurgence once influenza and other respiratory virus come back,” said the PHO.
“We’ll be monitoring things very carefully, but the plan and the thoughtfulness and the purpose that we have is that we can get through at least until the fall and we see what happens.”
Horgan added that B.C. is already further along than other provinces and is ready for the next phase of the reopening plan.
“Minister Dix and Bonnie Henry rang the alarm bells about COVID-19 long before anyone else was doing so, and we are benefited from that as a community and that’s why we’re where we are today,” explained British Columbia’s Premier.
Since B.C. did not completely shut down, the province is now on phase two of the plan. Although, health officials are hinting that social circles can begin to expand in the coming weeks, they are still urging British Columbians to have immediate patience and proceed with caution.
Rebecca Lawrence
