VANCOUVER -- With COVID-19 case numbers remaining high across the province, Dr. Bonnie Henry is cautioning anyone still going ahead with their holiday plans.
Some parents are pulling their kids from school early and hunkering down at home for two weeks, so they can spend time with family members who have done the same.
Henry says even that option is risky.
“We have seen in other places where people have tried to do this, that it is not foolproof," said the provincial health officer. "There are challenges, not everyone understands the same meaning of quarantine and takes the same precautions and you may be at risk."
Henry says there is no black and white answer when it comes to the effectiveness of pre-quarantines and because of that, she would not commit to either endorsing or discouraging them during Monday’s daily briefing.
She instead gave a few examples of safer alternatives for celebrations.
They include doorway drop offs of meals or holiday treats, or dinner parties over Zoom broadcast on the TV.
Henry says whatever you plan to do, distancing and mask wearing will need to be a priority, especially for those celebrating with older or immunocompromised family members.
“Now is dangerous. There is no safe gatherings," Henry said. "This virus doesn’t recognize that you’ve been apart for so long that you really need to see somebody. This virus passes between people. So we pick up the risk from where we’ve been and we take it to where we go."
B.C. recorded another 2,146 cases of the COVID-19 and 49 related deaths over the weekend.
Health officials are concerned there will be a spike in new transmissions in the coming weeks, similar to what happened after previous holidays.
However, Henry says she does not have any immediate plans to drastically increase COVID-related restrictions.
The current health order banning gatherings and events is in effect until at least Jan. 8.
