B-C is reporting another record number of new COVID-19 cases as well as a record number of hospitalizations. A statement issued by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix puts the number of new cases at 617 — breaking the record set yesterday. There are five-thousand-579 active cases in the province with 167 people in hospital, up from 155 yesterday. Two new deaths have also been reported, bringing the total to 290.
The province says contact tracers are falling behind as they try to keep up with ballooning COVID-19 cases, particularly in the Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health regions. The latest modelling data from Doctor Bonnie Henry came as B-C surpassed 20-thousand cases of COVID-19 with four more deaths and one-thousand-130 new cases detected over two days. Close to 58-hundred infections are currently active….The virus spreads faster in cooler weather and Henry says people could get away with things in the summer that aren’t safe now.
The concern about COVID in schools remains low. Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have been fewer than a dozen instances of COVID-19 transmission in schools. there have been more than 260 possible exposures, but nine in 10 schools across B-C have not had an exposure event. She says kids under 10 are underrepresented among new cases even though testing has increased in that age group. Henry says the median age of new cases has been hovering around the low to mid 30s, but the illness has recently been spilling into older age groups and long-term care homes.
With new restrictions in effect in Metro Vancouver, and record numbers of COVID-19 cases in B.C. there is no plan to make masks mandatory. Dr. Bonnie Henry reiterated yesterday that she has no plans to issue a public health order requiring people to cover their faces indoors. Other provincial authorities have made the move. In Quebec, masks are required province-wide. In Manitoba, the province issued an order making them mandatory in Winnipeg. Cities like Toronto and Calgary have passed bylaws, however, Vancouver recently voted against a motion to make masks mandatory in civic facilities.
Police in Surrey are asking for help finding a missing woman and her three-year-old daughter who haven’t been seen for almost a week. Twenty-six-year-old Naomi Morrisseau was last seen Nov. 6 near 72 Avenue and 126 Street in Surrey. The last time anyone heard from her was the following day around 4 p.m. Surrey RCMP say she is likely with her daughter “Police and family are concerned for their health and well-being. Naomi is as 5’4? tall, 165 lbs. She is Indigenous with a medium build with long, dark brown hair.
A new shopping event is coming to Cloverdale. Replacing the popular Ladies’ Night Out this year, “Cloverdale Holiday Passport” encourages people to do their Christmas shopping locally.
Holiday Passport works much like it sounds. Customers “travel” around to Cloverdale shops and make purchases. For each purchase of $20 or more at one of 30 participating retailers, customers earn a stamp in their passports. Once a shopper gets five stamps from five different businesses, they can then enter to win $1,500 in gift cards. There is no limit to number of entries, customers must just have five different stamps on each passport entry form. Holiday Passport begins Nov. 20 and runs for three weeks until Dec. 11.
While Diwali celebrations will look different this year, South Asian residents across Metro Vancouver are finding ways to bring light, love, and joy into their homes in safe ways amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Diwali will take place tomorrow…the festival centres around the theme of light, which symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says whether Canadians will be able to get together with friends and loved ones over the upcoming holidays depends entirely on people following public health guidelines now. He says as COVID-19 cases surge across the country, everyone needs to do their part to bring those numbers down in the hope of getting the pandemic under control. However, chief public health officer Doctor Theresa Tam says at this point, things don’t look good. She says if infection rates stay as they are, Canada could see 10-thousand positive cases daily within the next few week
The federal government is providing $1.5 billion to underrepresented groups in Canada hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the details of an investment of $1.5 billion in the Workforce Development Agreements (WDAs) with provinces and territories. According to the federal government, the investment will help Canadians in underrepresented groups and those in sectors that have been hardest hit by the pandemic – such as construction, transportation, and hospitality – to quickly access supports to re-enter the workforce. The help could include skills training, on-the-job training, employer-sponsored training, financial assistance and benefits, employment counselling and services, and job opportunities.
Surrey RCMP say a Newton traffic stop involving individuals “connected to the Lower Mainland gang conflict” resulted in two men being arrested, the seizure of a stolen handgun and the launch of an impaired driving investigation. The stop happened in Newton, near 62nd Avenue and 132nd Street, around 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 8 when a Gang Enforcement Team officer pulled over a 2012 Mercedes. A Surrey RCMP release notes the driver refused a breathalyzer when “the officer noted signs of alcohol consumption” and subsequently, an impaired driving investigation was launched.
Police say the driver was issued an immediate roadside prohibition, a violation ticket for drive contrary to restrictions, and the vehicle was impounded. Both the driver and passenger were arrested for possession of a restricted firearm and careless use of a firearm, according to Surrey RCMP. The two men were released without charges associated to the firearm, pending further investigation.
A handful of western Canadian ski resorts, including one within sight of downtown Vancouver, launch their seasons today. Cypress Mountain Resort is showing 25 centimetres of snow at its plaza and is offering a limited opening today but skiers must purchase tickets online and, with crowd restrictions in place due to COVID-19, all the day passes have sold out. The other two hills on Vancouver’s North Shore remain closed and Whistler-Blackcomb says it’s opening is set for November 26th — with several other resorts including Sun Peaks, Big White and Revelstoke Mountain also planning openings for the end of the month.