Coronavirus: British Columbia hospital and ICU admissions continue hovering near record hights

Hospitalization and ICU admissions for COVID-19 still remain high.

In a written statement this afternoon (April 30), Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said 740 more tests came back positive for the virus across B.C. during the past 24 hours for a new grand total of 119,785.

Of the newly discovered infections, Northern Health added 22, raising the authority total to 7,163 since March 2020.

There have been four new COVID-linked deaths, which raises the province's toll to 1,581.

Prov. total - 129,482
New Northern Health - 22
Active B.C. - 7,886
Public health monitoring prov. - 11,727
Hospital B.C. - 511
ICU B.C. - 174
New deaths, total B.C. - 4/1,581#bcpoli #covidbc #covid19bc #covid19 #bced #cdnpoli #cityofpg @PGMatters
— Jess Balzer (@jessicajbalzer) April 30, 2021

There are currently 7,886 active cases throughout B.C. with 511 people in hospital, 174 of which are admitted in ICU or critical care.

Nearly 11,727 people are being actively monitored by public health officials after coming into contact with someone who recently tested positive for the virus. A total of 119,785 cases are officially classified as recovered.

"If you have to ask, you shouldn't go."

That's what B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in a news conference earlier today in stating a couple of new exemptions have been added to the new ban on non-essential travel in the province.

People who are avoiding abuse, as well as people who are visiting long-term care facilities, are now included in the list of "reasonable exemptions" to the rule.

The health minister added that "the vast majority of British Columbians" are doing their part and that the Province is beginning to see the impacts of the new travel order.

That being said, Farnworth added that "while travel within your regional authority is not restricted, the message is still clear: stay local. If you have to ask, you shouldn't go."

Farnworth previously stated that he met with a number of groups representing racialized groups Thursday (April 22) to address concerns that the new order could disproportionately affect BIPOC communities in B.C. Today, he added that “it is also important that we get enforcement right, and consider concerns raised by the public and incorporate the feedback received from racialized communities.

"I want to be clear that the intent of this order is not punishment, but rather education around non-essential travel prevention to protect us all from the spread of COVID-19."

When stopped at a road check restricting non-essential travel, police will only have the authority to request:

a driver’s name, address and driver’s license
any available documentation regarding driver’s name and address (for example, secondary identification that confirms a driver’s residential address if recently moved)
the purpose of the driver’s travel (documentation regarding travel is not required)

Passengers in vehicles will not be checked.

Police cannot engage in arbitrary vehicle or street checks. Site-specific enforcement measures will be informed by ongoing discussions with stakeholders on limiting the impacts to the public and racialized communities. If police have reasonable grounds to believe that a person has travelled for a non-essential purpose, they can direct the traveller to turn around and leave the region. These measures will be limited to site-specific and authorized police operations on travel corridors between regions.

The goal of these road checks is education and further discouraging people from travelling for non-essential reasons. If compliance measures are deemed necessary by police, fines can be handed out. At the discretion of police, a contravention of this Emergency Program Act travel order may be subject to a $575 fine.

However, Farnworth added that "at any time, failure to comply with the requirements of a road check may result in a $230 fine."

The RCMP will deploy a trained, dedicated team to manage and enforce road check locations, and ensure interactions are in line with the intent of the order and all existing police policy and police standards.

In the north, it's good news for some areas, but bad for others.

According to the latest Geographic Distribution of COVID-19 by Local Health Area of Case Residence data, Prince George recorded 47 new infections between April 18 and 24, 2021.

However, caseloads in the northeast continue to rise fast.

During the same time period, April 18-24, Peace River North recorded a total of 78 cases, Peace River South added 66 and Fort Nelson saw six lab-confirmed infections.

An up-to-date list of northern B.C. schools marked for COVID-19 exposure warnings in the north in April is as follows: