Dozens of wildfires are out of control. COVID-19 cases are climbing — again. In short, the province is in crisis, shortly before B.C. Day. So what better time to bring out the pots and pans again?
“We owe so much to so many. On Monday evening, let’s all make some noise,” Premier John Horgan suggested in a video posted online Thursday.
Last year, the 7 p.m. cheer emerged as an organic display of thanks to first responders, nurses, doctors and health-care aides. Now, the province is looking to revive the practice as part of its “Vax for B.C.” campaign.
The call from the premier comes as COVID-19 cases climb in B.C.’s Central Okanagan region. That has prompted health officials revive a policy of mandatory indoor masking.
On Thursday, the province reported 204 new cases, representing the first time since June 5 that the daily case count climbed above 200. B.C.-wide, the seven-day case average has doubled in less than two weeks.
To date, 81 per cent of eligible British Columbians 12 and over have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 64.1 per cent are fully vaccinated.
On Wednesday, the province will conduct its first “Walk-in Wednesday” at COVID-19 vaccine clinics across B.C., with 20,000 doses on offer. First doses are available to anyone 12 or older, while second doses are available to anyone vaccinated before June 16.
— With files from the Times Colonist
