VANCOUVER -- Officials in British Columbia opted to renew the province's record-breaking state of emergency for a 25th time on Tuesday.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the province's longest state of emergency lasted 10 weeks, but the province's current declaration is approaching five times that length.
The state of emergency was first called in mid-March of this year, and has been in effect for 48 weeks so far.
States of emergency can only be declared for a maximum of two weeks at a time, and can be called off at any time.
Provided it is not rescinded, the state of emergency will be up for renewal again on March 2.
The declarations grant the government extra powers, including allowing authorities to enforce emergency-based rules, such as public health orders.
The decision to renew a state of emergency is made by B.C. officials with input from relevant parties – in this case the provincial health officer.
The current state of emergency is in effect due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, but they can also be prompted by other causes, including natural disasters like flooding and wildfires.
