As British Columbia looks at easing up its COVID-19 restrictions, federal officials say it’s a complex decision.
Dr. Tom Wong is the Chief Medical Officer of Public Health with Indigenous Services Canada, and says they have to look closely at how the pandemic is playing out.
“Not just the curve, where it’s going, but also we have to look at the local and the community, and the provincial, and the national picture,” Dr. Wong explains.
Across Canada, there are around 32,400 COVID-19 cases and over 1,300 people have died from complications.
Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos says although the COVID-19 pandemic will start to slow down earlier in some areas, we could undo the progress we’ve made if we stop public health measures early.
“Unless we all remain diligent in maintaining our new habits, new outbreaks can be sparked anywhere, at any time,” Duclos warns.
The federal government announced two shipments of N95 masks and other personal protective equipment arrived Friday. Duclos says they do not have a formal agreement guaranteeing they will continue to get supplies from the United States, but claims their relationship is strong.
“Meaning we have succeeded in maintaining the appropriate flow of medical goods in both directions, medical goods being essential, obviously, in the current crisis. This being said, we need to be vigilant, because that relationship is going to be tested for the rest of the crisis,” Duclos points out.
Duclos also gave an update on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, saying 7.6 million people have received the funding so far.
