Monday August 3, 2020 | VICTORIA, BC
Mary Brooke, editor ~ West Shore Voice News
The Restart BC website outlines how the province is moving things forward for individuals, businesses, schools and the overall economy.
The progression of “how we move between phases” is based on two key principles:
- Effectiveness of intervention measures in British Columbia and elsewhere;
- New scientific knowledge about COVID-19.
As part of deciding whether to ease restrictions, public health officials watch for changes in the 14-day incubation period, trends in confirmed/recovered cases, whether outbreaks are connected (by location, size and severity), and watching how other jurisdictions are responding to pandemic conditions.
Everyone has a role to play:
The BC Government says that all British Columbians have a role to play in reducing the possibility of transmission.
Primarily the role for everyone means paying attention to public health measures that have proven to be effective, including physical distancing (2 metres), frequent hand washing, wearing a face mask if 2-metre distancing cannot be achieved, and staying home if feeling even the least bit unwell.
“We must continue to take it slow and be cautious to progress through the phases,” it is stated on the Restart BC website.
“B.C.’s safe restart is not a recovery from COVID-19, but the next stage of our response as we learn to live with the virus.”
Presently in Phase 3:
BC is presently in Phase 3 of reopening the economy. An effective treatment or hopefully a vaccine are the conditions required for moving to Phase 4.
Phase 1: Ended May 18, 2020
Phase 2: Ended June 23, 2020
Phase 3: June 24, 2020 onwards
Phase 4: Conditional on global availability of vaccine or treatment