The message from B.C. health officials is clear: stay in your immediate neighbourhood.
In today's (April 12) coronavirus (COVID-19) briefing, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry told reporters that travel outside of one's immediate neighbourhood should be avoided, except for essential purposes.
"So if you live in North [Vancouver], you should not be travelling to Langley, or to Richmond. If you live in the Lower Mainland, you should not be travelling to the island," said Henry.
"If you live in Penticton, you should not be going to Sun Peaks or Oliver or Kelowna right now."
While travel should be avoided outside of your immediate neighbourhood, Henry emphasized the importance of spending time outdoors. However, this should be done safely and with people in your immediate household.
“COVID-19 is a virus that is transmitted by people to people – often to those we are closest to. As we face a surge in new cases and hospitalizations, we need to focus on the things that will slow the spread and break the chains of transmission," said Henry.
“To get to the end as quickly as possible, we need to stay local – in our immediate neighbourhood as much as possible."
Provincial health order for workplaces goes into effect
A new provincial health order that allows WorkSafeBC to shut down workplaces for 10 days or more when there is confirmed transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) by at least three people on site goes into effect today.
But not all workplaces are included in the order--and many British Columbians feel the province has missed an important one.
For many months, numerous parents, teachers, and doctors have called for a moratorium on in-class learning in schools in the wake of surging COVID-19 cases, particularly in Surrey Schools.
Nevertheless, the sweeping provincial order excludes schools and several other workplaces. However, many of the other workplaces cannot be entirely shut down as they provide essential services that cannot be administered from homes, such as health care, first responders and transportation.
The provincial health order also states: "Employers must make every effort to provide work from home options."
Parents from across the province have weighed in on the announcement, with many of them stating that schools should be included in the order.
