HEALTH Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Wednesday announced 34 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), including three epi-linked cases, for a total of 3,362 cases in British Columbia.

However, there were no new COVID-19-related deaths. The total number of deaths remains at 189 in the province.

There are 285 active cases of COVID-19 in the province and 2,888 people who tested positive have recovered.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, 17 individuals 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 1,049 cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, 1,742 in the Fraser Health region, 141 in the Island Health region, 304 in the Interior Health region, 69 in the Northern Health region and 57 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.

There are several community exposure events and one active community outbreak. Public health teams are actively contact tracing and requesting the assistance of anyone who may have been exposed to monitor themselves closely and follow public health guidance.

Dix and Henry warned: “The B.C. COVID-19 curve is trending upward. We need to bend it back down to where it belongs.

“We have proven that we know how to do this, and now each of us needs to make that happen.

“Contact tracing three or four people is much faster and easier than trying to reach 20 or 30 people. With each additional person, transmission is greater and more people are at risk, which means more people need to self-isolate and limit contact with others.

“As a direct result of the recent community exposures, there are close to a thousand British Columbians who are self-isolating at home, unable to work or even leave their home to enjoy the summer sunshine.

“You can protect your friends and loved ones by protecting their household bubble. To do this, keep your groups small, only spend time with those you know and use your layers of protection.

“Let’s stop the spread of COVID-19 with our safe physical distancing, washing our hands, cleaning more often, following one-way pathways, using plexi-barriers and wearing a mask when keeping distance is difficult.

“When travelling, be considerate of the communities you are visiting and use your travel manners at all times. This includes always, without exception, delaying your trip if you are feeling unwell.

“Recognizing the risks within bars and nightclubs and the recent links to exposure in these locations, the provincial health officer’s order is being amended. All patrons must now be seated at a designated seat. There is no liquor self-service or dancing, and measures need to be in place to reduce lineups and gathering outside. Changes in the requirements of events have also been made to further reduce the potential for transmission.

“We can all have a fun and safe summer in spite of COVID-19. Let’s focus our efforts, be mindful of those around us and give each other the space to stay safe.

“We are not going back to things we had to do before, but we do need to go back to safe social interactions, fewer faces and all working together to flatten our curve once again.”