Tuesday August 18, 2020 | VICTORIA, BC
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Editor | Island Social Trends
How do you help stop the spread of COVID-19?
Today these thoughts, suggestions and guidelines were issued in a joint statement from BC Minister of Health Adrian Dix and Deputy Provincial Health Officer Dr. Réka Gustafson.
“If you have COVID-19 or have been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, public health teams are here to support you. You can help them and your community by answering their call quickly and providing as much information as you can. Quickly isolating people who have COVID-19 and reaching their contacts is one of the most effective ways of controlling spread.”
“If your friend or family member is self-isolating, show you care by assisting them with the essentials they may need.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that we have to think about new things and do things we have never done before. This can be challenging, but we can all take confidence in knowing that by doing our part, we can keep ourselves and those around us safe.”
“To support public health teams throughout our province and protect the people we care about most, we have to take the time to assess the risks before we spend time with others. The effort is small, but the benefits are immense.”
Think about who you spend time with:
“We need to continue to protect those who are most vulnerable – our seniors and elders, and those with underlying health conditions – by thinking about who we are being exposed to, and who we may be exposing, when spending time with others.”
“Seeing friends may seem safe, but if you are in close contact with an elderly family member, your visit may inadvertently put them at risk.”
Use layers of protection:
“Let’s use our layers of protection, giving ourselves and those around us the space to stay safe no matter what we are doing or where we may be. This is how we protect our communities and stay strong.”
Layers of protection include keeping social bubbles small and defined, physical distancing (2 metres distance from people outside of our bubble), frequent hand washing, wearing a mask if we can’t maintain 2 metres distance, and staying home if feeling even mild symptoms.
===== LINKS:
COVID case counts in BC at August 18, 2020 including two new cases on Vancouver Island (Island Social Trends, August 18, 2020)
COVID case counts in BC at August 17, 2020 | And report on media teleconference by Health Minister Adrian Dix and Deputy Provincial Health Officer Dr Reka Gustafson. (Island Social Trends, August 17, 2020)