By Eva Zhu —
VANCOUVER — As B.C. officially entered Phase 3 Thursday, Health Minister Adrian Dix urged people planning to ramp up their outdoor activities to keep following COVID-19 safety protocols.
Speaking at the daily COVID-19 briefing, Dix said it’s important people remain vigilant and conscious about social distancing, stay home if they’re not feeling well, wash hands frequently and avoid touching their faces outside.
His comments came on the day B.C.’s Phase 3 Restart set the stage for an increase in “non-essential” travel throughout the province and invited more hotels and resorts to re-open along with the film industry.
While the accommodation industry was never ordered to close during the pandemic, many hotel and resort operators did so out of precaution and are preparing to re-open in Phase 3, according to the province. B.C. Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the move is expected to spark an increase COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks.
“As more stores, as more businesses, as more things open, as we travel more, we are going to have more cases. What we need to do is make sure we have those measures in place that we can stop the transmission quickly and rapidly and make sure it’s not spread to large numbers of people,” she said.
In Tofino, many resorts and hotels have been operating at full capacity, and said Amy Timmerman, a surfing coach who works in the area.
“I think everything is fine. Cases don’t equal deaths and from my experience in the workforce, everyone is being safe and people at risk are not traveling,” she said.
To read more on BC’s Phase 3 Restart Plan, click here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/phase-3