B-C has passed another grim marker in the COVID-19 pandemic with 35 more deaths over this weekend, pushing the death toll to 527. Provincial health officer Doctor Bonnie Henry reports that two-thousand and 20 new cases of the illness have been detected since Friday, more than half of which are in the Fraser Health region. There are now nine-thousand-380 active infections in the
province. Henry says people can celebrate the encouraging news that B-C is set to receive its first vaccine as early as next week — but high rates of transmission across the province cannot be ignored. And unfortunately they have extended a widespread ban on social gatherings with anyone outside of one’s immediate household through the holiday season until Jan. 8, 2021. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry also extended the requirement to wear masks in indoor public spaces and the ban on adult indoor and outdoor team sports until the same date. This means British Columbians will not be able to get together with anyone they don’t already live with — not even in parks, backyards or restaurants — to celebrate the holidays. Drive-thru holiday events that allow people to stay in their vehicles with members of their households can proceed. Events, such as a drive-in movie, have a capacity of 50 vehicles. Drive through events such as toy drives can also continue, all other holiday events are cancelled.
A COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at a Fraser Valley mink farm after eight people tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the health authority. Infections on mink farms in Europe and the United States have revealed the animals are susceptible to COVID-19. There are 70 mink farms in Canada.
Fraser Health announced it is “enhancing” the way it notifies staff members and parents of COVID-19 exposures at schools. In a release, the health authority says the change will enable them to more quickly determine students and staff who may have been exposed to the virus. The change is in response to feedback Fraser Health received from schools and parents. Previously, if there was a COVID-19 exposure at a school, staff and parents received a general early notification letter asking them to monitor for symptoms. Fraser Health would then contact anyone who was directly impacted by the exposure to provide further instruction. Under the new protocols, administrators will send out three types of letters that provide “targeted” information on what actions someone should follow based on their exposure.
Surrey RCMP is looking for the public’s help with identifying a man who sexually assaulted a female, near the Langley/Surrey border in Cloverdale. On September 1, 2020 at approximately 9:00 p.m., an unknown man approached the victim and groped her while she was walking her dog in the area of 196 Street and 72 Avenue. The man fled on foot immediately after the encounter. The victim was physically uninjured and reported the incident to police. After other avenues of investigation have been unsuccessful, police are releasing a composite sketch of the suspect in hopes of identifying the man. The suspect is described as Caucasian, approximately 20-years-old, brown hair, clean-shaven, and wearing a black t-shirt and grey pants.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP
The military is going to hold a dress rehearsal today as part of the federal government’s plan to distribute COVID-19 vaccines once they are approved. The approval of a vaccine by Pfizer and BioNTech is thought to be imminent. Several provinces have vaccine task forces in place to support the rollout. Manitoba says the first freezer able to store the Pfizer vaccine at low temperatures has been delivered and installed, with another four on the way.
A second car rally in support of farmers in India made its way to Vancouver over the weekend. Organizers say over 3,000 vehicles joined in on today’s demonstrations. This is the second major rally in Vancouver to take place in support of the farmers’ demonstrations in India. The farmers are marching thousands of kilometres to New Delhi, protesting three government agriculture laws passed in mid-September. The rally here began at the Cloverdale Recreation Centre. The convoy then drove to Vancouver with many demonstrators arriving at the Indian Consulate.
“The Yale Book of Quotations” is out with its most notable quotes of 2020. Number 1 on the Top 10 list is “Wear a mask” –The quotes are picked based on those that are famous or particularly revealing of the spirit of the times. The list also includes U-S President Donald Trump’s remarks about COVID-19 disappearing on its own and his musings that injections of disinfectant would kill the virus.
The popular singer of O Canada at the Vancouver Canucks hockey games Mark Donnelly , says he knew he might lose his job for standing up against what he describes as the “tyranny” of COVID-19 restrictions. He sang the anthem at an event called the Christmas Freedom Rally in Vancouver on Saturday, where hundreds of people protested restrictions imposed by B.C.’s provincial health officer. Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini tweeted late Friday that Donnelly was now the former Canucks anthem singer, followed by the hashtag #wearamask. Donnelly told the crowd, many of whom weren’t wearing masks or social distancing, that he decided to sing because he questions the “draconian lockdown protocols.” He said he doesn’t think health officials have done a cost-benefit analysis looking at the harms of the restrictions compared with preventing the spread of COVID-19 B.C. health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said last month that she has “no time for people who believe that wearing a mask somehow makes them ill or is a sign of lack of freedom.” Instead, she said wearing a mask is about respect for those who suffering through the pandemic together.
Surrey R-C-M-P say charges have been laid after two bank robberies in the city over the past month. Police say the fist robbery was on November 12th when a male suspect fled with a small amount of cash. The second robbery happened last Thursday and police say a suspect was quickly found by officers and placed under arrest. The Mounties say a 52-year-old man has been charged with two counts of robbery.
The B-C legislature is sitting for the first time today since the N-D-P won a majority government in October. The government will present a throne speech this afternoon to set its legislative agenda. Premier John Horgan says the session will be short and has one main goal — to pass the COVID-19 relief benefit of one-thousand dollars for eligible families and 500 dollars for individuals. Interim Liberal Leader Shirley Bond is pushing the N-D-P to release an update on the province’s finances in light of the pandemic after estimating a 13-billion-dollar deficit in its last
forecast.