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Only two new cases of COVID-19 in B.C.

Only two new cases of COVID-19 were reported in B.C. on Tuesday as the province began Phase 2 of its pandemic recovery plan.
COVID-19 WEB

Only two new cases of COVID-19 were reported in B.C. on Tuesday as the province began Phase 2 of its pandemic recovery plan.

No new cases of the disease were reported in the Northern Health region since Monday, leaving the number of test-positive cases of COVID-19 in the region since the beginning of the outbreak at 60.

"Today is an important milestone for our province," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. "For the employees, customers and business owners, we would not ease these restrictions if we could not do it safely. We can flatten our curve and safely reopen the province."

The total number of cases in the province since the beginning of the outbreak rose to 2,446, Henry said. Three more COVID-19 patients died since Monday, bringing the province's death toll from the pandemic to 146.

All three of the people who died were long-term care residents in the Lower Mainland, Henry said.

A total of 1,975 people in the province have fully recovered from COVID-19. The number of people who had recovered in the Northern Health region wasn't made available.

On Friday, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported 54 people in the north had fully recovered from COVID-19.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said 45 people across B.C. – including two in the north – were hospitalized as a result of COVID-19. A total of 12 people were in critical care with the disease.

"When you're testing and looking for cases and you only find two, that's good news," Dix said.

While Phase 2 of the B.C. Restart Plan allows many businesses and services to reopen, not all businesses – and not all individuals – will be ready to resume greater contact with the public, he said.

"Some businesses and services will open right away, others will in a couple of weeks," Dix said. "Our individual context will determine when and how we can participate in Phase 2."

As businesses and individuals move back more towards normal activity, it will be critical to maintain personal safety precautions, Henry said. Washing hands and frequently-touched surfaces often, staying at least two metres apart and, most importantly, staying home when sick must continue, she said.

"Staying vigilant is even more important as we start to ease those restrictions," she said.