Twenty-seven people including two residents of a North Vancouver long-term care home have now tested positive in British Columbia for COVID-19.
Overall, there are 67 cases of coronavirus in Canada.
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement Saturday with Health Minister Adrian Dix.
Henry said the important message for British Columbians is you need to stay at home when you are sick even if you haven’t traveled.
“Now is the time. We are in an extraordinary situation,” she said. “We need everybody to be aware, to look after their children, to understand if you or your children are sick stay home, isolate yourself, let your body recover.”
Henry said if you have concerns about exposures to COVID 19 or you develop more severe symptoms and need to have a medical assessment and medical care to call ahead. She said not everybody who has an infection right now or has respiratory symptoms needs to get tested for COVID-19 as there are many other things that are causing those symptoms.
Because there have been a number of community exposures Henry added we need to reconsider some of the events that we have around gatherings.
“Particularly religious gatherings and other gatherings of groups where we come together, and at this time I’m asking people to consider having virtual gatherings, to consider not coming together particularly if you have people in your gathering who are elderly, who are more susceptible to having severe illness from this disease.”
Both Henry and Dix strongly recommend people forgo cruise ships that are really high risk and said there is no way to guarantee your safety at this point.
– with files from Rebecca Dyok, My Cariboo Now