B.C. premier John Horgan announcing B.C. will begin moving cautiously into phase three of re-opening the province. (Gov't of B.C.)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Covid-19

B.C. now moving into Phase Three of re-open plan

Jun 24, 2020 | 1:05 PM

NANAIMO — The province is taking another step towards returning life a little closer to normal.

B.C. premier John Horgan announced on Wednesday, June 24 the province is moving into phase three of the re-open plan.

This includes movie theatres, the film industry, resorts and more provincial parks.

It also clarifies a return to full-time in-class learning resuming in September, 2020 for the beginning of the school year.

Though travel from other provinces was never barred, Horgan said non-essential travel is now expected and will hopefully bolster the tourism industry.

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Horgan stressed phase three will be moved into gradually and carefully.

“As you’re interacting with more people and your bubble is expanding, be mindful of who you’re around, be mindful of what you do.”

Horgan re-affirmed his desire to have the Canada-U.S. border closed as long as necessary.

“When I look to the south I see chaos. We’ve seen spikes in Washington State, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and California. These are traditionally people who would come to British Columbia in the summer to enjoy our tourism attractions.”

As restrictions ease, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the key restriction against large gatherings will remain in place for a substantial amount of time.

“For the most part we’ve had safe contact, doing the things we need to do like keep our distance. We’ve found a balance of increasing our contacts and doing it in a way that’s safe. We need to keep this balance for the coming months.”

As of Wednesday, June 24, there remains one active case of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island.

The total number of cases within Island Health sits at 131.

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