Ottawa’s help needed so travellers follow quarantine plans: B.C.’s top doctor

VICTORIA – British Columbia's top doctor says she strongly encourages the federal government to use its resources to monitor international travellers entering the province.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says public servants from various provincial ministries have been doing that work to ensure about 18,000 people so far are following self-isolation plans after returning to B.C.

Henry says "meticulous follow-up" is needed if and when the border between the United States and Canada is reopened to ensure anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 isn't passing the illness on to others.

She says discussions are expected to be held with her federal counterparts on how that could be done with help from Ottawa. Representatives for the federal government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Henry says the province is beefing up public health teams this summer to ensure testing, tracing and tracking of the illness is kept up before more cases are probable in the fall with the arrival of other respiratory illnesses.

She has announced 10 new cases of COVID-19, and two deaths, amounting to a total of 157 fatalities in the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2020.