Today, the province announced that there will be another two week extension of the provincial state of emergency.
This is the 33rd extension and it will continue through to the end of Tuesday, July 6.
In consideration of BC’s restart plan and Dr. Bonnie Henry’s recommendations, the state of emergency could be cancelled before July 6.
However, the statement says that the cancellation would only happen if there is continued and solid progress on case numbers, hospitalizations and vaccination rates.
“Better days are within reach this summer, but we need to carefully guard our progress against COVID-19,” said Premier John Horgan.
“People in B.C. have been doing their part by getting vaccinated, following the rules and working together to put the pandemic behind us. I’m asking everyone to stay on track through Step 2 of our restart so we can look forward to the opportunities that come with Step 3.”
The extension allows health and emergency management officials to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act (EPA) to support the COVID-19 response.
Every extension is based on the recommendations of the same health and emergency management officials.
“I know everyone is excited about the restart, but keep in mind that the state of emergency and many of the orders remain in place until we move to Step 3 of BC’s Restart plan,” said Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety.
The state of emergency has been in effect since March 18, 2020.
