B.C. has recorded 3 new deaths related to the coronavirus pandemic, with the total number of provisional causes hitting the 100 marks; doubling from late last week.
The new deaths due to Covid-19 are connected to the Lynn Valley Care Centre cases in North Vancouver, shared by Dr. Bonnie Henry, at today’s daily media call.
Prime Minister announces closing of Canadian borders
Earlier in the morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the closure of Canadian borders to foreign travelers and non-citizens, however, this did not include U.S. residents.
The exclusion largely pertains to the effort to maintain the relative efficiency of goods and services moving over the border, and to support the Canadian economy.
Provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix strongly clarified that the province would be asking U.S. citizens to stay home, and furthermore adhere to the 14 day self-isolation period if entering the country; a move that applies to anyone returning or entering Canada.
30 new cases of coronavirus have been identified over the weekend in B.C., across Vancouver Coastal, Fraser, and Island health regions.
A dental conference over the weekend of March 6, which drew about 15,000 attendees has reported its first connected coronavirus case. It is moves like this that has forced the province to extend its ban on mass gatherings to groups of more than 50 people, further tightened from 250.
The biggest move, with ramifications that are bound to be felt, is the suspension of thousands of non-urgent scheduled surgeries – an effort being made to conserve hospital resources. This decision comes as all provincial health authorities are being directed to move to their Covid-19 “outbreak response” plan, with the proverbial, and dusted off, nuclear clock continuing to tick.
The Minister of Health also announced the launch of a dedicated COVID-19 information line, which can be reached at:
1-888-COVID19-19.