B.C. health officials are reporting a new single day record for COVID-19 cases with 203 across the province, with eight new cases in the Interior Health Authority.

Health officials also declared a COVID-19 outbreak at École de l’Anse-au-sable school in Kelowna where three members of the school community have a confirmed positive case of COVID-19. Another 160 members of the school community have been told to self-isolate for 14 days and monitor for symptoms.

This is the first confirmed outbreak in a school setting in the province after several exposure events particularly in the Lower Mainland.

IHA says the exposure came about after members of the school community mixed with select cohorts and one another while others mixed during a break. It says people who are self-isolating were physically and administratively separate from the rest of the school community, and the investigation into the outbreak is ongoing.

Provincewide, there are have now been 12,057 cases of the virus, with 632 of those cases in the Interior, where there are 52 active cases with two people in hospital, one in ICU.

Across B.C., there are now 1,766 active cases of the virus with 70 people in hospital with COVID-19, 21 of whom are in intensive care.

There were also two new deaths reported taking the COVID-19 death toll to 256 people.

“Many of the new cases and recent community clusters of COVID-19 are directly connected to weddings, funerals and celebrations of life – times when we traditionally gather with family and friends,” said a statement from Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. “A wedding is meant to be a time of celebration, yet weddings and other important life occasions are a significant source of community transmission; transmission that has spread to health-care facilities, workplaces and schools.”

“Now is the time to keep these celebrations small and to plan for bigger family gatherings at a time when we are no longer putting our seniors, elders and others at risk.”

All told, there are now 4,294 people who are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to a known case of COVID-19.

As of today, there are 9,993 people – just under 83 per cent of the total who are considered to have recovered from COVID-19.