HEALTH Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Monday announced 81 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in British Columbia since Friday.

There were two new COVID-19-related deaths in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. The total number of deaths in B.C. now stands at 193.

In the first reporting period, from July 24 to July 25, there were 36 new cases. From July 25 to July 26, there were 21 new cases. In the last 24 hours, there were a further 24 new cases.

This represents 81 new cases, including seven epi-linked cases since we reported on Friday, for a total of 3,500 cases in the province.

There are 264 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 3,043 people who tested positive have recovered.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, 11 people are hospitalized, three of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,064 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,800 in the Fraser Health region, 143 in the Island Health region, 353 in the Interior Health region, 80 in the Northern Health region and 60 cases of people who reside outside of Canada.

There have been no new health-care facility outbreaks. In total, one long-term care facility and two acute-care facilities have active outbreaks.

Fraser Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Fraser Valley Packers Inc., a fruit packing plant in Abbotsford, after 15 staff working at the facility tested positive for COVID-19. Public-health teams are on site to investigate and case and contact management is ongoing. Those identified as cases and close contacts have been instructed to self-isolate.

The outbreak on Haida Gwaii has a total of 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to date.

There also continues to be additional community exposure events throughout the province. A full listing of community exposure events for each health authority is available through the BC Centre for Disease Control, as well as on health authority websites.

Dix and Henry added: “We can all enjoy our summer, and we know what we need to do to ensure COVID-19 does not take that enjoyment away.

“Let’s continue to take the necessary precautions to reduce the potential for COVID-19 to spread in our communities and among our friends and family.

“Start planning today for how you’re going to make your B.C. Day long weekend a safe one. Take the time to assess the risks before spending time with others and put measures in place to protect yourself and those around you.

“How will you give people the space to stay safe? Are you spending a short time together? Are the people you are with in your bubble? If you can’t say ‘yes’ to these questions, then say ‘no’ to the activity. Choose to do something else instead.

“Spending time outside is far safer than being indoors, so take advantage of the many options we have here in British Columbia. However, remember that ensuring you have a safe physical distance from others is important, no matter where you may be.

“The provincial health officer’s order on mass gatherings has been amended to limit the number of people in vacation accommodations, including for house, cabin, yurt and boat rentals, as well as hotel rooms.

“The number of people is limited to the capacity of the space, plus up to a maximum of five visitors. For example, if the capacity of the accommodation is four people, the maximum number of visitors allowed is five, for a total of no more than nine people. It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure the order is adhered to by all guests and to ensure contact tracing information is collected for everyone – guests and visitors alike.

“When travelling, travel safely. Use your travel manners and be courteous and considerate of those around you. Don’t ask a venue or their staff to bend the rules. Rather, thank them for the efforts they are making to help keep all of us safe.

“Let’s use the summer days to bend our curve back down and help protect everyone in B.C.”