British Columbians can start 2021 on the right foot by staying small and staying local for their New Year’s Eve celebrations, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during the last COVID-19 update of the year.
Henry said 2020 has been hard on everyone, especially those who lost a loved one, a job or a business, or felt lonely in isolation, and urged people to keep following public heath orders and guidelines in the new year.
“Every time you choose to do the right thing, you are potentially saving a life,” she said. “This includes how you spend New Year’s Eve. Let’s turn the page on 2020 in the best possible way.”
Henry reported 683 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, including 11 in the Island Health region, and eight deaths, all in the Fraser and Northern health regions.
Henry said the number of COVID-19 cases has been trending down during the past few weeks, “although the increase today reminds us we are still in a very precarious situation.”
“And we can only look around us, whether it’s other jurisdictions here in Canada, around the world, our partners to the south, where we see this virus continues to wreak havoc and cause illness and death,” she said.
Henry also responded to criticism about an order, issued Wednesday afternoon, moving up last call for liquor sales on New Year’s Eve to 8 p.m. from 10 p.m.
Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said Wednesday that the changes “came out of the middle of nowhere” and would hurt businesses.
Henry said the decision was made because alcohol limits inhibitions and has led to small meals in a restaurant growing into larger groups and getting out of control.
“When that happens, rules can be forgotten, and servers and restaurant staff are the ones who must enforce these rules,” she said.
Henry said she has heard of celebrations planned, some for hundreds of people, as well as concerns from hospitality workers about how they would manage difficult situations.
She said restaurants have been able to operate safely, noting B.C. has kept restaurants open while many other jurisdictions in Canada have closed indoor dining, and encouraged British Columbians to support their local establishments by ordering take-out or visiting on another night.
“It’s not just about tonight. It’s about supporting our local businesses, our local restaurants, our local pubs over the coming weeks,” she said.
An outbreak at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, declared Dec. 1, is now considered over. Eleven patients and 11 staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at the hospital. Four deaths have been linked to the outbreak.
More than 17,500 people across all health regions in B.C. have received a first dose of vaccine.
There are 7,803 active cases in the province and 374 people in hospital, including 76 in intensive or critical care. Another 9,364 people are under active public health monitoring.
