Jason Lawson: Top doctor urges 'pause' over long weekend before businesses reopen Tuesday

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s top doctor is urging residents to stay close to home over the long weekend in order to mitigate transmission of COVID-19 before some businesses reopen on Tuesday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says much of the virus’s spread has occurred because symptoms are often mild, especially in the early stages of illness, and people may not recognize it could be COVID-19 making them sick.

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Phase two of B.C.’s restart plan kicks off Tuesday and Henry says the latest guidelines for businesses that are allowed to begin reopening are now available on the province’s website.

She says each business must have a COVID-19 safety plan in place that customers, employees and public health officials may access.

B.C. reported 21 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the province’s total to 2,428 — an increase of 0.87 per cent.

Henry says 355 of those cases are active, with 49 people in hospital and 11 in critical or intensive care.

One more person has died after contracting the novel coronavirus, raising the province’s death toll to 141.

Henry says there are no new community outbreaks, but there are ongoing outbreaks in 15 long-term care facilities and five acute care units, as well as a fruit and vegetable processing facility in Coquitlam.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2020.

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