BREAKING: Two more COVID-19 cases in Interior Health region following 3 days without

After three days without an increase in numbers, there are now two more cases of COVID-19 within Interior Health's region, taking the total to 130.

Across the province, there have been 45 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24. The highest number reported in the last five days, but still lower than one week ago where new cases averaged over 50 a day.

There were five more COVID-19 related fatalities in the last 24 hours, taking the total number of people who have died as a result of the virus in B.C. to 48. So far, over 400 people in Canada have died as a result of COVID-19.

B.C. chief provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement today, April 8, during her daily press conference.

Addressing the upcoming long weekend Henry reiterated this was not the time to travel.

"We've said this before and we'll say it again. We need to stay home this weekend, we need to be close to our families to the people we share our homes with," she said. "We need to consider the impact that such a misstep could have on everything that we have done, and everything that we have put together in the last couple of weeks."

There have been 1,336 COVID-19 cases in B.C. with over 1,100 of these in the Lower Mainland. Of the remaining cases, 130 are in Interior Health's region, 81 within Vancouver Island Health, and 23 in Northern Health.

Henry said the number of longterm care homes dealing with outbreaks remains at 21, with 138 residents and 88 staff testing positive for COVID-19.

"We are in the thick of it right now, we're still watching what is happening around the country and across the globe and it is no time for us to let up at all," the doctor said.

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