VANCOUVER -- With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in B.C., the province's top doctor is asking local athletes to reduce the number of teams they're on and for spectators to be limited.
Dr. Bonnie Henry released four days' worth of COVID-19 cases Tuesday, covering test results from the long weekend. With 549 new cases reported, Henry pointed to recreational sports teams and spectators as an area of concern.
“As much as you may want to see the winning goal or celebrate that perfect pass after the game we need to ensure we are keeping ourselves and our loved ones safe," Henry said during a news conference Tuesday, suggesting that spectators crowding on the sidelines could be spreading the disease.
“We need to step back and remember that even though we want to see everything that our child is doing, this is the time to focus on letting them play."
Henry asked parents to be more mindful of physical distancing and keeping their bubbles small.
"We have to remember that spending time socializing or cheering with other parents and fans before, during and after games increases the risk of transmission and exposure for you and your family,” she explained.
Henry also asked families to pick one sport and stick with it, instead of playing on multiple teams in multiple leagues.
Students who play for schools teams and in the community are asked to only play one sport in each setting to reduce their social contacts.
Families with multiple kids in sports may have to limit themselves even more.
Henry says an increase in exposures tied to recreational sports have forced some facilities to shutdown.
All organizations, and the facilities they play at, are required to have a COVID-19 safety plan in place.
There have been 10,734 cases of COVID-19 reported in B.C since the start of the pandemic.
Over the long weekend, five more people died, bringing the death toll to 250.
Henry says the higher case numbers are in part due to a backlog of testing cleared up at the end of last week.
