Growing COVID-19 daily case counts in the western United States have health officials in B.C. anxious and in no rush to see the Canada/U.S. border reopen.
The U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Nevada have seen “dramatic” and “profound” spikes on daily coronavirus case counts through the first week of June, said Health Minister Adrian Dix.
“That is a significant situation that continues to be a problem for us in terms of reopening the border to visitors anytime soon,” Dix said, adding he doesn’t see it as “practical” to have Canadians visiting any of those states or residents of those states coming north.
“The states closest to us, the states people are most likely to visit from here. States with which, like Arizona, which British Columbians often have a strong connection. Are all seeing significant increases.”
Washington State reported 578 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, the highest daily total in over a month. Arizona, meanwhile, reported 789 cases on Monday.
“Our friends, our neighbours, people we are very close to are struggling with this,” Dix said. “They are dealing with a very difficult situation and one that represents a challenge for all of us.”
While admitting that the status of the border is “obviously” federal jurisdiction,” Dix said the provinces have “obviously” been spending a great deal on healthcare to fight the pandemic while residents and businesses make sacrifices.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday morning that the closure to non-essential traffic between the U.S. and Canada would be loosened somewhat to reunify separated families.
The revision means immediate family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents will be allowed in, as long as they have no sign they might have COVID-19 and no reason to believe they might have caught it.
B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said she supports such measures.
