The Canadian Press
The B.C. government is extending the province’s state of emergency for another two weeks, allowing officials to continue using emergency powers to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move comes as B.C. reported 105 new cases of the illness and one new death on Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 234.
The number of active cases ticked down to 1,268, including 69 people in hospital, while more than 3,300 people are being monitored after exposure to a known case. There are five active cases in the Island Health region, but no new cases were reported Tuesday.
There has been one new health-care facility outbreak at Haro Park centre, a long-term care facility in Vancouver.
In a joint statement, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and deputy health minister Stephen Brown are encouraging people to plan for small gatherings at Thanksgiving, rather than travelling or hosting a large family dinner.
“We have had to change our special celebrations and gatherings to keep the people we care about safe,” they said.
B.C. has recorded 9,013 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic and 7,485 people who tested positive have recovered.
Island Health has had a total of 206 cases and six deaths linked to the virus.
— With a file from the Times Colonist
