B.C. health officials are reporting 287 new COVID-19 in the province today, ten of which were in the Interior Health Authority, for a total of 13,875 cases.

There were also two new deaths to report, one of which a man in his 70s in the Interior who died in hospital. It brings the death toll to 261 people, three in the Interior, and the first since Apr. 27.

“This is a sobering reminder of how deadly COVID-19 can be and on behalf of everyone at Interior Health, we extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends who lost their loved one,” said IHA CEO Susan Brown.

“I would like to thank his care teams for the support and dedication they provided to him, and for their commitment to all of our patients during this difficult time.”

Across the province, there are now 2,316 active cases of COVID-19 (91 in the Interior), with 87 people in hospital, 25 in ICU. There are another 5,358 people being actively monitored after being exposed to a known case of the virus.

Health officials are also reporting an outbreak at the Okanagan Men’s Centre in Lake Country, but the number of cases linked to this outbreak are not known at this time. There are now 16 cases linked to the outbreak at the École de L’Anse-au-sable in Kelonwa, with 175 self-isolating as a result.

“Our COVID-19 safety efforts start at home, and recently we have seen a number of new cases and clusters directly connected to social events in private homes,” said Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. “That is why there is now a provincial health officer order in place restricting the number of people who can safely be in our homes,”

“We can still spend time with our friends and family, but right now we must all keep to our ‘safe six’ only or take our events outside, where it is far easier to maintain a safe physical distance. Now is the time for us to take a step back from our in-person social events and gatherings, and connect virtually instead. This will help to protect our loved ones, our seniors, Elders and our communities as we move forward.”

There are now 11,244 people who tested positive for COVID-19 that are now considered to have recovered.