From lowering the limit on gatherings to ordering casinos to be closed, the provincial government took further steps Monday in the name of containing spread of the corona virus.
Previously set at 250 people, the limit on gatherings was lowered to 50 people.
"This includes indoor and outdoor sporting events, conferences, meetings, religious gatherings and other similar events," B.C. health minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a joint statement.
On order of Attorney General David Eby, all casinos in B.C. are to be closed as of 11:59 p.m. Monday. Measures taken at the casinos over the last number of days had included turning off every second slot machine, removing seats at table games and stopping all casino marketing, B.C. Lottery Corporation said.
As for the province's hospitals, all had been ordered to undertake only urgent and emergency procedures and postpone all non-urgent scheduled surgeries. Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver, in turn, was directed to accept only emergency patients.
"These measures will assist hospitals to redeploy and train essential service health-care providers on critical care related to COVID-19 to ensure sufficient medical supplies for patients and staff who need them most, and to further increase capacity to respond to the potential for a surge of COVID-19 patients requiring acute care," Dix and Henry said.
School districts are also being consulted on what to do following spring break, they added. Three additional deaths from the virus, all of them related to the Lynn Valley care home in North Vancouver, were reported.
And 30 new cases were announced, raising the total for B.C. to 103 and involve people from across the province.
"A significant number of new cases are related to the Pacific Dental Conference 2020 held at the Vancouver Convention Centre on March 6 and 7, 2020. We are asking anyone who attended to self-isolate until March 22, 2020," Dix and Henry said.
