What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. on April 5, 2020

THE LATEST:

• The province will hold its next COVID-19 briefing at 1:30 p.m. PT on Monday from Victoria.
• On Saturday, 29 new cases of COVID-19 were announced in British Columbia with three more deaths.
• A total of 1,203 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in B.C.
• To date, 704 people have recovered from their illness.
• 149 patients are hospitalized, with 68 in intensive care.
• The B.C. death toll from the virus stands at 38.
• 23 long-term care homes now have cases.
• Two B.C. prisons have cases.

British Columbia's provincial health officer says the province seems to be holding its own against COVID-19, which is why officials are so cautious about people returning from other areas of the world.

Dr. Bonnie Henry said Saturday that repatriation flights from India and elsewhere are in the works and health officials in B.C. are consulting with federal agencies to determine what will happen with those people.

She says the province wants to work with the federal government to ensure that people returning to B.C. are aware of isolation requirements.

Henry said people travelling may not be aware of the rapid changes that have taken place because of COVID-19 or that they need to be isolated for 14 days after travel.

She also said Saturday that the lower number of new cases indicates the curve may be flattening and that she was "heartened" by those numbers. They represent a decrease in acceleration, she said.

'Keep our firewall strong'

Still, Henry warned that residents must continue their commitment to physical distancing and other measures meant to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Henry said B.C. is now in that crucial, two-week period where officials could get a greater understanding of how orders and physical distancing measures are working.

"This is our time to remain unwavering in our commitment. To keep our firewall strong," she said Saturday.

There will be no update from Henry or Health Minister Adrian Dix on Sunday. Their next update will be from Victoria on Monday at 1:30 p.m.

23 long-term care homes

COVID-19 has been diagnosed in another long-term care facility in the province, bringing the total to 23 care homes affected.

Henry said in all but two of those facilities, the outbreak has been limited to one or two positive cases.

Two inmates at a prison in Mission, B.C., have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).

It says all inmates are in self-isolation to prevent the spread of the virus and cleaning efforts have been ramped up at the minimum security federal institution, which houses about 250 inmates.

The two cases in Mission follow one other announced Thursday at the Okanagan Correctional Centre near Oliver, B.C. It was the first outbreak of COVID-19 at a jail in the province.

TransLink reduction

Starting Monday there will be a further reduction of transit services in Metro Vancouver on bus and SeaBus due to plunging ridership and financial pressures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

SeaBus service will be reduced to every 30 minutes, all day long.

As of Wednesday, West Coast Express Train 4, which leaves Mission at 6:55 a.m. and Waterfront at 5:30 p.m., will be cancelled. And buses with very low ridership will have reduced service.

• Your guide to COVID-19 and its impact on life in Canada
• How to apply for EI and COVID-19 emergency benefits
• Get the latest advisories, updates and cancellations for B.C.

Top stories today

• A drive-thru COVID-19 testing site has been established in Burnaby's Central Park for health care workers and other patients referred by their family doctor. 
• The province is preventing firefighters in B.C. from attending health emergency calls involving flu-like illness in order to protect them from contracting COVID-19 and to preserve personal protective equipment.
• Call-takers staffing 24/7 mental health phone lines say they are speaking with more people than normal, with most wanting to talk through their anxieties over the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Sign language interpreters who have become fixtures of the coronavirus briefings talk about sharing the limelight.
• Baking bread is taking off at home as the pandemic stretches on.
• Have a look at the photographs of one CBC News photojournalist who documented essential workers going about their work.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 3 p.m. PT on Sunday Canada had 15,512 confirmed and presumptive cases, with 307 deaths. The provinces and territories that list information about recovered cases have reported 3,106 cases as resolved or recovered. There have also been two reported COVID-19 related deaths of Canadians abroad — one in Japan and one in Brazil. 

The numbers, which are updated at least daily by the provinces and territories, are not a complete picture, as they don't account for people who haven't been tested, those being investigated as a potential case and people still waiting for test results. 

For a look at what's happening across the country, check the CBC interactive case tracker.

If you have a COVID-19-related story we should pursue that affects British Columbians, please email us at impact@cbc.ca.