B.C. Premier John Horgan said there are “great reasons for optimism” in the province as there continues to be “relatively low” numbers of new COVID-19 cases.
“Our approach…from the beginning has been coping with the virus,” Horgan said. “Dr. Henry has been pretty clear, it’s here and it’s going to be here until we find a way to eradicate it.”
“In the the interim, we have to find ways to manage and cope with the disease. We’re under no illusion that COVID-19 is gone.”
The premier went on to say he believes bringing students back to school in June has made B.C. “better prepared for September than any other province in the country,” because education officials will have a benchmark to compare to, district by district.
“I listened to the president of the United States talk about his fountain of wisdom and knowledge on what’s best for public education in the United States, and I say I would prefer to talk to school board trustees, superintendents, teachers and parents about what’s in the best interest of their kids,” Horgan said. “That’s what we’ve been doing.”
‘They are not coming this year’
B.C.’s premier said he appreciates that some businesses want restrictions at Canada’s borders to be eased, but maintained that public health is still of the utmost importance.
“They are not coming this year,” Horgan said about international tourists. “It is not just because Canada has said we don’t want to see our border open until we see other countries in the world having the same level of success.”
“This is a global pandemic and I think that we need to remind ourselves of that periodically. I don’t think the dollars that would be invested in the tourist economy are worth the risk to public health.”
