What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. on May 5, 2020

THE LATEST:

• 8 new cases in B.C. in the last 24 hours.
• Total of 2,232 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in B.C. as of Tuesday afternoon. 
• 4 more people have died, bringing total deaths to 121.
• 78 COVID-19 patients are in hospital, including 21 in intensive care.
• New outbreaks declared at Evergreen House, Ridge Meadows Hospital and Richmond Hospital.
• Outbreak at Lynn Valley Care Centre declared over.

B.C. logged only eight new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours but four more people have died, bringing the total number of deaths to 121.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement Tuesday afternoon.

New outbreaks were also declared at North Vancouver's Evergreen House, a care home, and two acute care centres: Ridge Meadows Hospital and Richmond Hospital.

There are 22 outbreaks in long-term care and assisted living facilities as of Tuesday.

However, the outbreak at Lynn Valley Care Centre, one of the first care homes hit hard by the virus, is officially over.

While B.C. has successfully "put the brakes" on the virus and reopening plans are set to be announced, "we are not through this yet," warned Henry.

"So please don't start planning your play dates and expanding your bubble too soon."

Henry said Monday provincial authorities are working under the assumption that B.C. is currently around 30 per cent of regular interactions but that the virus can be kept in check if interactions are kept below 60 per cent going forward.

"In New Zealand, they have this concept of 'now, you can double your bubble.' That's the kind of thing we think about now, too," Henry told CBC's The Early Edition on Tuesday morning, referring to increasing the size of social circles.

The latest round of COVID-19 data for B.C., released Monday, revealed the spread of the virus has been declining since physical distancing measures were introduced and schools, restaurants and bars were closed in mid-March.

Henry, along with Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix, are set to announce B.C.'s plans to begin easing restrictions on Wednesday. 

CBC News has learned there are three key takeaways. Restrictions are not expected to change until at least mid-May.

'Double your bubble' with discretion, Henry says

Overall, the focus will be on giving the public broad rules for how it can safely practise a "new normal" until a vaccine for COVID-19 is found. Safe ways to increase social and economic contacts will form the basics of the plan, but the public shouldn't necessarily expect a detailed list of what they can and cannot do.

"It's absolutely going to have to be a unique look at our own situations," said Henry, referring to the "double your bubble" concept.

"If we have people that are in our circle that are more at risk of having severe illness, particularly our seniors and elders, we need to take measures to protect them," she continued.

WATCH: Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. is at "the end of the beginning of this pandemic."

Dr. Bonnie Henry believes B.C. has reached 'the end of our beginning of this pandemic'

5 years ago

Duration 3:01

There's some room to increase social connections, but B.C. health officials say this summer will be different from previous years.

As an example, Henry suggested people might be able to see a friend for dinner or take kids to visit grandparents, but they'll have to weigh risk and carefully decide whether it would be a safe choice.

"If my grandfather has heart disease ... or my grandmother is going through cancer treatment, we should think about whether we want to include them in our bubble," Henry said.

"For every person that we interact with, we're exposed to the people that they've interacted with. So, it's a concept that we're not making that bubble too big."

Henry said the numbers from Tuesday were further reason for hope but cautions moving forward too quickly could undo the sacrifices that have been made.

Financial aid for agriculture sector

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $252-million aid package Tuesday for Canada's agriculture and food industries.

He said $77 million of that money will go to measures to keep workers in food processing safe with protective equipment and by supporting physical distancing in workplaces.

Meat-packing plants, in particular, have seen large coronavirus outbreaks, including three poultry processors in B.C.

Henry said on Tuesday, there were 55 confirmed positive cases at Superior Poultry in Coquitlam and 35 at United Poultry in Vancouver.

Seven cases were detected at Fraser Valley Specialty Poultry.

The plant was closed for three days but after implementing a plan to reduce the risk of the virus among employees, it has now reopened at a reduced capacity.

• Your guide to financial help available for people in B.C. affected by the crisis
• How to apply for EI and COVID-19 emergency benefits
• Get the latest advisories, updates and cancellations for B.C.

Top COVID-19 stories today

• B.C.can expect a "unique summer" this year, according to Dr. Bonnie Henry — definitely not one with with big weddings and crowded festivals, but a bit more social interaction than we've come to expect during pandemic
• BC Hydro's COVID-19 bill relief fund should benefit all residents, says a Pemberton homeowner who doesn't meet criteria.
• The province is beginning to reach a stage where regular interactions between people will eventually be able to double, while still containing the coronavirus.  
• B.C. is set to relax its COVID-19 rules later than most other provinces — but it had fewer to begin with. Here's what we know about what Premier John Horgan will outline Wednesday.
• Metro Vancouver home sales dropped by 39.4 per cent in April from a year earlier, dropping to an almost four-decade low, as activity was hit by a full month of physical-distancing restrictions related to COVID-19.
• The Vancouver-based Canadian vice-president of Amazon Web Services has quit, citing the company's firing of employees he said voiced concerns over work conditions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Both BC Transit and TransLink announced they will resume charging fares June 1, following the installation of barriers designed to increase driver safety during the COVID-19 health crisis.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 3:30 p.m. PT, Canada had 62,046 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19. Provinces and territories listed 27,006 of those as either recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally based on provincial data, regional health information and CBC's reporting put the COVID-19-related death toll in Canada at 4,166, plus two known deaths of Canadians abroad.

The numbers are not a complete picture, as they don't account for people who haven't been tested, those being investigated as a potential case and people still waiting for test results. 

For a look at what's happening across the country and the world, check the CBC interactive case tracker.

If you have a COVID-19-related story we should pursue that affects British Columbians, please email us at [email protected]