British Columbians urged to stay home this Easter weekend amid COVID rise

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – With the Easter weekend upon us, British Columbians are being urged to stay home as COVID-19 cases surge across the province.

This message bears even more urgency after B.C. reported its highest single-day case count on Wednesday, with 1,013 new infections.

“The risk for all of us is too great, which means any of our usual travel and holiday weekend gatherings need to be put on hold this year,” reads a joint statement from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Wednesday was the first time since the pandemic started that B.C. has crossed the thousand-mark threshold for new daily cases.

Health leaders are urging us not to travel this Easter weekend, after our province recorded more than a 1000 new cases of COVID-19 in a single day for the first time. Meanwhile in Ontario, a 28-day shutdown is reportedly imminent with a record 421 patients in ICU–more @NEWS1130

— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) April 1, 2021

Beyond that disturbing tally, the latest cases mean more than 100,000 people in B.C. have contracted COVID-19 to date.

Nationally, we are approaching the one-million mark in cases since this pandemic began.

Canada’s top doctor has previously urged Canadians to “hold on together a bit stronger and longer” until vaccines can do their job.

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam continues to stress the risk virus variants pose to our efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. Recently, she said she was concerned that variants could threaten “our progress before vaccines can bring full benefits.”

Related articles: 

• B.C. breaks daily COVID-19 record with 1,013 infections

• Canada’s top doctor says variants threatening progress made against COVID-19

• Vaccines vs. variants: Modelling shows spread of COVID-19 unraveling Canada’s progress

As the province tries to get its case load under control once again, the Easter long weekend marks the first weekend since new restrictions were announced.

They include a ban on indoor dining at eateries, the closure of non-liquor-primary establishments, as well as indoor religious services no longer being allowed, despite recent announcements relaxing these rules for the next few weeks.