BC Today – Daily Report April 20, 2020
Quotation of the day
“We are not at the point yet where we can let up our guard. The storm is still raging.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry compares COVID-19 to a hurricane and says, despite positive signs, B.C. remains “in a major storm.”
Today in B.C.
On the schedule At 3 p.m., Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix will provide the daily briefing on COVID-19 in B.C. The briefing will be livestreamed.
There are no committee meetings scheduled for this week.
How B.C. is looking to ease COVID-19 restrictions Officials in B.C. are considering what beginning to reopen the economy could look like as the
province appears to be leading the nation’s other populous regions in the battle against COVID-19.
Mid-May is when provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry expects British Columbians will be able to increase their “social connections” and “business connections.”
The goal is finding “a sweet spot” that allows for much-missed socializing while continuing to protect people vulnerable to the coronavirus and the health-care system’s ability to respond to any potential case surges.
That means summer staples such as the Vancouver Pride Parade and the Pacific Northwest Exhibition will not be able to proceed as normal. Neither will weddings, festivals or large gatherings.
The provincial health officer said she would like to see the number of new cases fall to zero before B.C. makes any moves toward easing up on current restrictions.
Failing to adequately reduce transmission of the virus could lead to “explosive outbreaks” — something some countries in Asia have seen as they begin to lift restrictions.
Thanks to early testing and tough contact tracing, B.C.’s 1,647 confirmed COVID-19 cases pale in comparison to the 10,500 in Ontario and 18,500 in Quebec.
Physical distancing measures will continue for the foreseeable future in B.C., but the province is already working towards reopening schools and businesses.
Antibody testing, scheduled surgeries incoming Dr. Henry has said she expects the province to begin rolling out antibody testing — to determine who has developed immunity after being infected — in the next few weeks.
The BC Centre for Disease Control is already working with a random, anonymous sample of blood tests collected prior to the widespread circulation of the virus that will hopefully reveal if people had antibodies early in the outbreak.
There is also an initiative across Canada to use antibody testing to understand how people have been affected countrywide.
The province is looking to begin rescheduling the thousands of surgical procedures put on hold to allow hospitals to prepare for increased occupancy due to the pandemic.
Businesses should prepare for altered operations
While public officials work behind the scenes, business owners whose operations are currently shuttered should start thinking about how they could reopen while “maintaining the physical distances we need to keep between us,” Dr. Henry said.
Work-from-home options and online transactions will continue to play a big role, but some employees could also begin returning to workplaces on staggered shifts and possibly over longer operating hours.
“There are lots of things that we can do to gradually increase the opening of our businesses with the understanding that we are going to have to take precautions over the next year, maybe longer,” Dr. Henry told reporters.
Employers will have to ensure they have adequate facilities to allow for frequent hand-washing and surface cleaning, as well as enough space for both workers and customers to stay apart. Any workers who are ill will need to be able to stay home.
Essential services are already operating under these constraints and could help provide workable solutions to provincial orders.
Caution and patience will need to prevail Dr. Henry’s prognosis is based on the latest modelling of B.C.’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated modelling released on Friday shows the province’s case rate and critical care cases have trended similarly to South Korea — where the disease has been largely contained — instead of seeing uncontrolled growth like in Northern Italy and China’s Hubei province.
It does not offer projections for the future of B.C.’s caseload or hospitalization numbers.
In a weekend op-ed, Dr. Henry said modelling should be treated “as a useful tool, not a crystal ball.” Even if the province’s pandemic trend continues in the right direction, it may be weeks, or months, before any provincial orders related to COVID-19 are lifted.
“When we say middle of May, that's the best case scenario,” she said. “It's not a hard date — I'm not saying May 15th, this is what's going to happen.”
Today’s events
April 20 at 12:45 p.m. – Victoria Premier John Horgan will announce new support for rural, remote and Indigenous communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Horgan will be joined by Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser, Dr. Danièle Behn Smith, deputy provincial health officer
for Indigenous health, and Susan Wannamaker, executive vice-president of clinical service delivery with the Provincial Health Services Authority. The new conference will be livestreamed.
April 20 at 7:15 p.m. – Online The Fraser Health Authority’s bipartisan COVID-19 virtual town hall takes place this evening. Fraser Health CEO Victoria Lee will be joined by chief medical health officer Dr. Martin Lavoie, NDP MLA Rachna Singh (Surrey—Green Timbers) and Liberal MLA John Martin (Chilliwack). The event will be livestreamed.
Topics of conversation
● B.C. confirmed 29 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 1,647. As of the most recent briefing, there were 115 people in hospital with COVID-19 with 54 of them requiring critical care. A total of 987 people are considered fully recovered. ○ No new fatalities were reported on Friday, but on Saturday, Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed three new deaths at long-term care facilities, bringing the province’s total to 81. ○ On Saturday, no new cases were confirmed in connection with the Okanagan Corrections facility and Bylands Nursery outbreaks in Interior Health. The number of confirmed cases at the Mission Institute rose to 70 — 60 of them inmates.
● Vancouver police arrested 14 people for breaking into Lord Strathcona Elementary School over the weekend with the intention of using the vacant school as “emergency housing.” A spokesperson for the group said homeless people have “no way to follow COVID safety measures” without adequate housing. “All the bathrooms are closed and there's no running water, and there's no good, healthy food to eat," said Flora Munroe in a press release from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. ○ Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said the province needs to do more to help unhoused British Columbians who are “rightfully feeling anxious for their safety.” ○ Stewart plans to ask Social Development and Poverty Reduction Minister Shane Simpson, who is also the local MLA for the Downtown Eastside, about the province’s plan to house people in hotels. ○ Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth referred questions on the incident to the Vancouver Police but said “occupying a school isn't exactly … a legitimate form of protest.”
● Victoria city council is calling on the provincial government to find a way to get all unhoused British Columbians into secure indoor spaces. “I don’t care how it happens — just get people inside,” Mayor Lisa Helps said late last week. She said BC Housing and local health authorities should co-ordinate with local hotel and motel operators so that people can access needed support services while being housed.
○ Days Inn general manager Darryl Wilson disagrees with Helps, telling CTV that his employees have expressed concerns about housing homeless people. “We need to have individuals who are able to responsibly and safely occupy a hotel room,” said Wilson. “We still have other hotel guests staying in the hotel, we have staff on-site, and we need to protect their safety as well as our property and our neighbours.” ○ Yesterday, Minister Farnworth announced the province will begin issuing $2,000 fines to people and businesses not following some of the provincial orders related to the pandemic, including hotel operators who refuse a request from the province to put up essential workers or serve as self-isolation spaces.
● Indigenous organizations in B.C. — including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, First Nations Justice Council, Assembly of First Nations and First Nations Summit — are calling on the federal government to take immediate action to protect inmates at the Mission Institute, where a number of inmates and several staff members have tested positive for COVID-19. Last week, an inmate at the federal correctional facility became the first person to die of COVID-19 in a Canadian prison. ○ “Many people who are currently behind bars are there due to racism inherent in the justice system, for being poor, non-violent or lesser drug related offenses,” said Terry Teegee, regional chief with the B.C. Assembly of First Nations. “Releasing low-risk nonviolent offenders will create much needed space for social distancing in correctional facilities.” ○ The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is calling for an inquest into the death of Dean Roberts, the inmate who died.
● The leaders of two dozen Vancouver Island communities want the provincial health officer to prohibit non-essential ferry travel over the May long weekend. ● North Cowichan Mayor Al Siebring authored the letter sent to Dr. Henry, citing “compelling anecdotal evidence” — including long lines at local liquor and grocery stores — that plenty of people took recreational trips to the island and Gulf Islands over the Easter weekend.
● B.C. school districts have loaned out more than 23,000 computers and other electronic devices to help keep K-12 students engaged in online learning. Some districts have been working with internet service providers to create local internet hotspots and connect families with low-cost connections and unlimited data plans, according to the education ministry.
News briefs Price gougers, profiteers face $2,000 violation tickets
● Police officers now have the authority to issue $2,000 violation tickets to individuals and businesses caught price gouging or profiteering off medical equipment and other
essential supplies. ○ Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth requested that provincial and municipal enforcement officers — such as bylaw officers, liquor and cannabis inspectors, conservation officers and sheriffs — also help with enforcement. ○ Businesses who do not abide by purchase limits set for specific items can also be fined, as can hotel operators who refuse a request from the province to put up essential workers or serve as self-isolation spaces.
Stratas can meet virtually during pandemic
● A temporary change under the Emergency Program Act will allow B.C. strata corporations to hold meetings — including monthly annual general meetings — virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. ○ The change will help ensure strata councils can continue conducting necessary business while following the provincial health officer’s ban on gatherings of 50 or more people, per the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. ○ Stratas can choose their own form of virtual meeting but, if a computer-based option is selected, an alternative for strata members without a computer must be provided.
Legislative officers warn domestic violence has increased during COVID-19
● On Friday, B.C. human rights commissioner Kasari Govender and Children and Youth Advocate Jennifer Charlesworth released a joint statement to mark Prevention of Violence against Women Week. The pair warn that social-distancing measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 are driving an increase in domestic violence. ○ “One Vancouver service provider recently reported a 300 per cent increase in calls related to family violence during the pandemic,” Govender said. “We are deeply concerned that there are many others who, for reasons of safety, haven’t been able to make those calls.”