Tuesday, April 7, 2020 – 5:00pm
COVID-19 PANDEMIC UPDATE #15 – CITY OF NELSON
Nelson, BC – “Bend the curve, not the rules this weekend” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. The Minister indicated that we have been gaining ground on flattening the curve of COVID-19, and our continued perseverance is needed to keep us on track.
Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry repeated the message that she wants those who normally celebrate religious holidays such as Easter, Ramadan, and Passover to celebrate virtually this year and not gather in groups, as gathering in groups of any size can be unsafe.
Dr. Henry and Minister Dix want to drive home the message to all of us, that this is not the time to be complacent and ignore the orders put in place by the Province. Many people who would normally travel over this long weekend should plan to stay home. We must all be 100% committed to the measures we have taken as a province – they are making a difference.
Mayor and Council would like to also stress with the upcoming long weekend and warmer weather that following the Provincial Health Officer’s orders and guidance is critical.
Mayor Dooley says “We understand that many of us will want to visit families and friends this weekend, but we need to reach out virtually instead.” He adds, “All non-essential travel should be cancelled; if family or friends are planning to visit Nelson, please ask them to stay home. Physical distancing, washing your hands, staying home, and self-isolating if returning from travel, remain the best ways to beat this thing.”
The BC Government has provided the following information today:
COVID-19 Cases:
Total cases in BC to date: 1291
- 603 in Vancouver Coastal Health
- 458 in Fraser Health
- 79 in Island Health
- 128 in Interior Health (No Change)
- 23 in Northern Health
- Total recovered cases in BC: 805
- Total new cases in BC: 25
- Total fatalities in BC to date: 43
- Total cases in Canada to date: 17,897
- Total fatalities in Canada to date: 405
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Reminders:
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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