VICTORIA — British Columbia health officials say one more person has died due to COVID-19 after the province marked six consecutive days without a death.
Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say the death toll is now 168.
They also announced 16 new cases of COVID-19 in a joint statement on Friday.
There are 187 active cases in B.C. out of 2,709 confirmed cases in total.
Among the active cases, 12 people are in hospital with three in intensive care.
There ongoing outbreaks at five long-term care or assisted-living facilities and six in the community, but no new outbreaks have been identified.
Dix and Henry say they have been monitoring closely as the province rolls out COVID-19 restart plans, which have allowed an array of restaurants and personal service establishments to reopen.
They say newly enhanced guidance for restaurants and pubs is also available from WorkSafeBC.
"The requirements for this sector have been adjusted in response to small clusters of new cases in businesses, as employees spend more time together and in recognition that a safe number of patrons is highly dependent on the amount of space within each location, not the restaurant capacity," they said in the statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2020.
The Canadian Press
