The Trail Local Health Area (LHA), which covers Rossland through to the Beaver Valley, reported one more case of COVID-19 the first week of the month.
Since testing began for the novel coronavirus in B.C. last year, this brings the total number of confirmed cases in the Trail LHA to 21.
The latest data released by the BC Centre for Disease Control shows that for the week of Feb. 28 to March 6 there were no new cases in Castlegar or Grand Forks. Besides the one new case in Trail, there was one new case in Nelson and three in Creston.
As vaccination roll out continues, on Tuesday, the B.C. government announced that it had formally extended the provincial state of emergency for the 26th time, marking one year since this declaration was first issued in response to COVID-19.
The province says this unprecedented, continued state of emergency allows health and emergency management officials to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act (EPA) to support B.C.’s pandemic response.
The state of emergency is extended through the end of the day on March 30.
The extension is based on recommendations from B.C.’s health and emergency management officials. The original declaration was made on March 18, 2020, the day after Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Dr. Bonnie Henry declared a public health emergency.
With backing of police and other enforcement officials, the province uses measures under the EPA to limit the spread of COVID-19, including issuing tickets for owners, operators and event organizers who host an event or gathering contravening the PHO’s orders.
Between Aug. 21, 2020, and March 12 this year, 1,471 violation tickets were issued across B.C., including: 221 tickets ($2,300 each) to owners or organizers contravening the PHO order on gatherings and events; 39 violation tickets ($2,300 each) for contravention of the PHO’s Food and Liquor Serving Premises Order; and 1,211 tickets ($230 each) to individuals who “refused to comply with direction from law enforcement.”
As of press time, there were 4,999 active COVID-19 cases confirmed across the province, which included 280 people being treated in hospital for the virus. Of those, 84 patients were being treated in intensive care.
As of Thursday morning, the confirmed death toll in B.C. related to this virus stood at 1,411.
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