B.C.’s top doctor says says the biggest threat to the fight against COVID-19 in the province is the high rates of transmission in the Lower Mainland.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says while places like the Interior and Vancouver Island don’t have as many cases as the Fraser Valley, it doesn’t take much for the virus to spread in areas where things are relatively under control.

“It doesn’t change the fact that if people are coming from other parts of the province, they are bringing risk with them, and we need to be aware that having a large party, a large wedding, a large event introduces risk,” she said. “The clear and present danger right now is the higher rates of transmission right now in the Lower Mainland.”

Henry pointed to the outbreaks in Kelowna over Canada Day as an example of how quickly cases can spread.

“We’ve seen it in different parts of the province. Its not that we are out of the woods. This virus is circulating all around us and because people are moving, there is a risk,” she added.

On Monday, Dr. Henry brought in an order to limit gatherings in private homes to the people who live there, plus their safe six. Yesterday, the province also extended the COVID-19 state of emergency to Nov. 10 as the number of cases keep spiking.

Earlier today, B.C. reported another 287 cases of the virus and two more deaths, including the first death in the Interior since April.