Another teacher tests positive for COVID-19 as schools close for the summer in B.C.

One of the 20 new COVID-19 cases recorded in B.C. in the past 24 hours was a teacher in the Fraser Health region.

“We anticipated and planned for this potential when we returned to some in-school teaching,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during her COVID-19 briefing today, June 25.

The teacher was the second to contract the disease. Dr. Henry said no students were exposed.

This is the last day for in-school teaching until the fall. A group is studying the lessons learned from this month’s partial return to school and will come up with a plan for a consistent approach to schooling in the fall.

Dr. Henry said that while she would prefer that it be a full return to school it has to be done safely so a number of hybrid options will be examined as well.

The 20 new cases brings the provincial total to date to 2,869.

There were two new deaths in Lower Mainland long-term care home bringing the provincial total to 173.

The Interior has had 199 cases with no news cases reported in the last day. There have been 1,504 cases in Fraser Health, 970 in Vancouver Coastal, 131 on Vancouver Island and 65 in the Northern Health region.

There have been 2,719 people who have fully recovered from the disease. There are 179 active cases with 15 people in Lower Mainland hospitals with seven in intensive care units.

She noted that Phase 3 of the reopening of the province is now underway.

“It’s an exciting time in many ways because it has shown we’ve been able to achieve our balance here in B.C.,” Dr. Henry said. “For all of us in B.C. and perhaps for anybody visiting from another province, we need to continue to use our layers."

Layers include staying home when ill, “fewer faces and bigger spaces,” using barriers, one-way pathways, continuing to wash hands, cleaning high-touch surfaces and maintaining safe distancing.

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