British Columbia remains in the longest state of emergency the province has ever seen after a further extension on Tuesday.
Premier John Horgan has extended the provincial state of emergency for the 11th time on August 18 after the previous extension period ran out.
Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth initially declared a state of emergency on March 18 as a result of COVID-19, which was originally in effect for 14 days.
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It was then extended 10 times by Premier Horgan, on March 31, April 15, April 29, May 13th, May 27, June 10, June 24, July 7, July 22, and August 4.
Tuesday’s announcement further extends the state of emergency until the end of day on September 1, 2020.
“The vast majority of British Columbians are following Dr. Henry’s orders of seeing fewer faces in bigger spaces, but we all have to remain committed to flattening the curve,” said Premier John Horgan in a statement.
“British Columbians have sacrificed a lot to keep transmission rates down, and now unsafe parties and gatherings are eroding that hard work. We’re committed to getting our province back on track and will be announcing enforcement action against those who continue to put others at risk.”
Declarations of emergency can be extended by the province by increments of 14 days at a time.
The province has recently seen a major spike in the number of daily cases, with 236 new cases reported over the course of three days.
A large portion of these have been attributed to private events, social gatherings, and workplace exposures.
