B.C.’s top doctor says it will be hard to know right away if people followed all the rules to avoid non-essential travel this past long weekend.
While the province appears to have flattened the curve significantly, Dr. Bonnie Henry says the incubation period for the virus is up to two weeks, but that most people start to become ill within four to seven days..
She says the number of cases in the province still continues to increase every day.
“We will be getting through next week and watching the numbers and watching how things go, looking at our testing, looking at the public health contact tracing and follow up we are doing in our communities very carefully over the next ten days,” she said.
Henry says B.C. is still in the ‘thick of things’ when it comes to the COVID-19 response.
“They are also in the thick of things in Ontario and Quebec, and we’re seeing increases across the prairies,” noted Henry. “We’re also seeing a lot of increases continually in cities in the US. It’s all going to factor in to what’s happening in the next ten days.”
Asked about reports that BC Ferries were experiencing high Easter weekend traffic, Henry called those reports ‘overblown’. Speaking on Saturday, Henry said she was assured that ferries have significantly reduced capacity to help maintain physical distancing measures.
“They did confirm that they’re only seeing a fraction of the traffic that they would normally [see] on this weekend,” she said.
“I’m heartened that I think most people are doing what we need to do, and they’re staying home. They’re looking after their family, they’re taking care of their neighbours. They’re managing this challenging time staying close to home and a safe distance from others.”
Instead of the usual eight daily sailings between Tsawwassen and Swartz Bay and from Tsawwassen to Duke Point, there are now just four daily departures in each direction.
Last week, health ministers for both B.C. and Alberta urged residents to avoid travelling between the two provinces during the Easter weekend, recognizing the shared border is frequently crossed during major holidays.
