VANCOUVER -- The weather may feel like summer is fast-approaching, and many are already wearing the unofficial uniform of T-shirts and shorts, but health officials warn this year will see a very different kind of summer.
On Saturday, as provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry presented the latest update on COVID-19 cases in B.C., she reminded residents that the curve may be bending, but the situation is far from over.
"Realistically, we will not be having those big events where people gather together this summer," Henry said. "We do not have enough herd immunity or community immunity to allow that type of event to happen."
She specifically said the PNE fair will "likely not happen this year."
Organizers of this year's 110th fair said they were taken aback to hear Henry's strong stance.
"It was certainly a bit of a surprise to hear that today," spokesperson Laura Ballance told CTV News Vancouver. "We've been monitoring the situation and looking at modelling in different ways that the PNE, maybe not the traditional fair, but different models that may work in light of whatever the COVID situation would be in August."
Playland was originally supposed to open in the spring, but that date has since been moved to July 1.
Ballance added that date may need to move again, but there aren't any plans to cancel Playland or the Fair.
"I'm very hopeful that we'll be able to see something that will mark, at the end of summer, tradition that goes back generations," she said.
Henry also mentioned parades, saying they will also likely not take place this year.
Andrea Arnot, of the Vancouver Pride Society, said the organization was anticipating it may have to cancel events during Pride Week, but even though people may not be able to gather, they don't plan on axing the events altogether.
"Pride is more than just a parade; it's a spirit, it's a feeling, it's connecting with loved ones and supporting new people that you meet. So Pride can't really be cancelled, we are just going to reimagine it and do it in a different way," Arnot said.
She added some ways of accomplishing that include holding virtual gatherings and livestreaming performances.
As a non-profit, the society will take a large financial hit by not holding physical events that would typically generate revenue, Arnot said. But, the organization’s sponsors have already indicated their continued support, she said.
"We'll just have to be creative and think outside the box to keep things going," she said.
Henry said any talk of loosening restrictions won't happen until at least May, adding the province is still "in the eye of the storm."
"We don’t want all the sacrifices that we have doing across the province to be for naught we need to make sure when we open things up, we do it in a measured, thoughtful way," she said.
The provincial health officer announced three more deaths from the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the province's pandemic death toll to 81. She also announced 29 more people had tested positive for the virus, for a total of 1,647 confirmed cases in B.C. so far.
