Tuesday, April 14, 2020 – 4:30pm
COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE #20 – CITY OF NELSON
Update from the Prime Minister Trudeau
During a briefing outside his residence, Prime Minister Trudeau said talks with provinces on resuming economic activity are continuing. He understands that everyone wants to know when things will get back to normal, but cautioned that we all must "stay the course" as Canada is not yet through the first wave of the pandemic. Prime Minister Trudeau said today there will be a phased-in approach to reopening Canada’s economy as the COVID-19 crisis subsides — but it will be weeks still before business and school shutdowns begin to ease off.
Read the full article here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/covid19-restrictions-lockdown-1.5531482
Statement on Anniversary of Overdose Crisis as Public Health Emergency in B.C.Today marked the 51st press briefing by Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix. The main focus of today’s update acknowledged the Provincial Government is currently dealing with two public health crises at the same time; one being the COVID-19 pandemic and the other being the overdose crisis. They stressed that while much energy and resources are being directed towards COVID-19, the overdose crisis continues to receive their full support.
The Province is working with various levels of government to support vulnerable populations. They are providing emergency housing options so people experiencing homelessness and COVID-19 symptoms can self-isolate. The Province recently announced new guidelines so people can self-isolate to help keep communities safe from COVID-19 and to protect people from overdose, withdrawal or other harms. This guidance is the first of its kind in Canada and outlines how prescribers, patients and pharmacists can now work together to stay safe by delivering medication to patients, using virtual technology for consultations and witnessed injections, and giving patients longer carries of medications.
To read full media release on Overdose Crisis: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020MMHA0010-000685
Returning Travellers Self-Isolation Plan – Expanded Federally
Premier Horgan was pleased to hear that Ottawa will join BC in putting resources in place to make sure returning travellers self-isolate across the country. The Prime Minister announced on Tuesday that effective at midnight, anyone who is returning to Canada from abroad has to have a “credible quarantine plan” or they will be forced to spend 14 days in a “quarantine location.
”In British Columbia, over the long weekend, 1,701 travellers were screened at BC land and air borders to ensure they had self-isolation plans. Of those, 13 people were provided accommodation to self-isolate and a further 207 were contacted for follow-up support.
To read CTV story on Prime Minister Announcement: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-u-s-border-likely-to-remain-closed-for-weeks-pm-says-in-imposing-tougher-quarantine-rules-1.4895280?fbclid=IwAR1gUec1NF_0PCoIqKd8QKQdkfW9Ke4pFa-ScgA5JP99NqSTunKJh8gkGR
Temporary foreign workers self-isolating in government-managed accommodations
All temporary foreign workers (TFWs) arriving in British Columbia for seasonal farm work will be required to self-isolate in government-managed accommodations for 14 days prior to being transported to farms throughout B.C. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Province will fund hotel and food-service costs during the 14-day self-isolation period – the accommodation will be in the Lower Mainland near the airport and will not be at the farm workplace. The Province is also providing access to socio-economic and cultural supports for workers while they self-isolate.
To read the full media release: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020EMBC0020-000689
The BC Government has provided the following information today:
COVID-19 Cases:
- Total cases in BC to date: 1517
- 658 in Vancouver Coastal Health
- 601 in Fraser Health
- 89 in Island Health
- 141 in Interior Health (Up 5 cases in 24 hrs)
- 28 in Northern Health
- Total recovered cases in BC: 942
- Total new cases in BC: 27
- Total fatalities in BC to date: 72
- Total cases in Canada: 27,063
- Total fatalities in Canada: 952
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Reminders:
For mental health support, please visit:
Anxiety Canada : https://www.anxietycanada.com/ BounceBack BC : https://bouncebackbc.ca/
Which businesses are open in Nelson?
https://www.nelsonkootenaylake.com/news
To apply for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Program, visit: https://www.canada.ca/…/s…/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html or call 1-800-959-2019 or 1-800-959-2041
To help provide important information to our community, the City of Nelson has developed a dedicated webpage nelson.ca/covid19 that will be updated frequently as new information becomes available. Please sign-up for ‘City News’ on NotifyMe to receive automatic updates from the City via text or email.
The City of Nelson relies on Interior Health, BC Public Health, and the Federal Government for information related to the virus itself. If you believe you are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, please contact your physician, or call the COVID-19 telephone line at 1-888-COVID19, to be assessed or call the testing clinic hotline at (250) 551-7500 to be triaged for testing. Symptoms of COVID-19 include coughing, fever, sore throat, and difficulty breathing. These symptoms may not present themselves for up to 14 days, but you may be a carrier of the virus; therefore it is important to follow the guidelines set out by the health experts.
To check your symptoms or get updates from the BC Government you can download the BC COVID-19 App or visit this website
News and information about the spread of COVID-19 is coming at us quickly. It can be hard to remain calm given all that is going on. Stress, anxiety, and depression are not unusual for people of all ages. But there are things we can do as individuals and collectively to deal with stress and support one another during these challenging times. Visit the managing stress website here.
We thank you for doing your part to help maintain a safe and healthy community and for understanding the importance of this evolving situation.
Information from the BC Center for Disease Control on COVID-19
Media Contact:
Ginger Lester, EOC Information Officer glester@nelson.ca
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