British Columbia is recording 711 new cases of COVID-19 today bringing the total number of active cases to 9-thousand-and-50. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a statement 11 more people have also died and offer their condolences. They say B-C continues to see a significant surge in community transmission, which means following provincial health orders remains necessary. They say it’s O-K to be festive and have fun, but stick with your immediate households.
How the province plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine to British Columbians will be revealed next week. Dr. Bonnie Henry says health teams have been discussing with the federal government how the rollout will be undertaken. Henry said as long as the vaccines continue to come in, the planning suggests B.C. will be ready to start vaccinating in January and hopefully have everyone who wants it vaccinated by next September. This comes as 12 more people lost their battle with the virus in the last 24 hours and another 694 COVID-19 cases were added. Hospitalizations dropped slightly for the first time since early November to 325, but 80 of those patients are now in critical care.
British Columbians will have to wait until December 7 to find out if public health orders banning gatherings will be extended. The current restrictions, which were put in place for two weeks on November 19, ban all in-person events in the province — including private gatherings in one’s home. Many are curious whether the gathering restrictions will be extended so they can better plan their Christmas and other holiday celebrations this year.
TransLink’s CEO has now confirmed the system was targeted with a ransom attack. Kevin Desmond says “this attack included communications to TransLink through a printed message.” The letter, which sources said was coming out of printers at TransLink, read: “Your network was attacked, your computers and servers were locked.” The note went on to threaten to release certain information in three days if TransLink does not meet its demands, which were unspecified in this letter. A similar situation happened in Montreal in October when hackers demanded US$2.8 million, though it’s not clear if there’s any connection. TransLink is assuring customers their credit card and payment information has not been accessed…However they continue to be vague about what happened to the system.
Public transit providers in B-C are getting more than one-billion dollars to cover revenue and operational losses from the COVID-19 pandemic. The federal and provincial governments will share the cost under a deal finalized today. TransLink is getting 644-million dollars, B-C Ferries 308-million and 86-million will go to B-C Transit. B-C Transportation Minister Rob Fleming says the one-time funding is aimed at ensuring essential public transportation services survive past the health crisis and into the vaccination period.
Surrey RCMP is advising the public of traffic congestion that is expected in Cloverdale this saturday in connection with rallies organized in support of farmers in India. It is anticipated that more than one-thousand vehicles will converge at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and then form a convoy travelling to the Indian Consulate in Vancouver beginning at 11:00 am on Saturday morning.
Those wishing to avoid the rally and any associated traffic concerns, are asked to choose an alternate routes. It is specifically recommended to avoid the 176 Street corridor, between 60 Avenue and Highway 1, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Surrey RCMP respects the rights of participants who are exercising their Freedom of Peaceful Assembly. However, we are reminding all participants that BC Provincial Health Orders are currently in effect which have placed restrictions and prohibitions on events and gatherings They are asking rally participants to please stay in their vehicles and not intermingle or congregate with other participants. If you have to step out of your vehicle, please wear a mask and maintain social distancing. Members of Surrey RCMP will be in the area assisting with any traffic safety concerns and will monitoring the situation.
The organizer of a 40-person rave, and host of a 58-person party were among those fined by Burnaby RCMP in November for violating COVID-19 orders. Mounties released their monthly snapshot of tickets issued under the COVID-19 Related Measures Act. In total, enforcement officers responded to 46 complaints, issuing five tickets to people who hosted or organized gatherings. The month started with a report of a rave. Hosting or organizing a gathering can result in a $2,300 fine, while attending one can lead to a $230 ticket.
New research shows holiday spending is going to be sharply reduced this year, largely due to the pandemic. A new poll from Insights West shows holiday shoppers across B.C. will spend, on average, 42 per cent less this year compared to 2019. The data also shows more women are spending less than men this year. 48 per cent of women polled will be spending less, compared to 36 per cent of men.
New data shows Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is showing signs of producing lasting immunity. The American biotech firm says it will have as many as 125-million doses available by the end of March. Health Canada is expected to approve Moderna’s candidate shortly, and Ottawa has signed an agreement with the drugmaker to buy at least 20-million doses.
Surrey R-C-M-P say a man wanted in connection with a kidnapping investigation has been arrested in Montreal. Police say Meaz Nour-Eldin was arrested on Tuesday with help from
Montreal police and the Ontario Provincial Police. The Mounties say he was wanted for kidnapping after a man was allegedly abducted on July 4th of 2019 in Surrey. The alleged victim was found a day later and treated at hospital for non-life threatening injuries.
The Fraser Health authority is making a new contact tracing form for COVID-19 available on its website. The authority says the new option will provide a quick and efficient way to report contacts if someone has tested positive for the novel coronavirus. It says the majority of cases in the region are among people between the ages of 20 and 29 and it is providing the option based on feedback it received. The new form went online today
British Columbia’s minister of jobs and economic recovery says labour force data shows the province’s economy is continuing an upward swing, with close to 24-thousand jobs added last month. Ravi Kahlon says B-C has seen substantial job growth for seven consecutive months since April, when the COVID-19 pandemic had the most severe economic impacts. He says B-C’s total employment has reached 98.5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, marking the highest job recovery rate among Canada’s four largest provinces. B-C’s unemployment rate has fallen to just over seven per cent, below the national average of 8.5 per cent.