COVID-19 Coronavirus preparation advice shared by Jennifer Rice through Legislature session

North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice on COVID-19 preparation in BC

I always encourage people to be prepared, but this should be done in a measured approach and not be panic driven. -- Jennifer Rice, North Coast MLA and Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness on the topic of Coronavirus preparation measure.

Taking precautions, but not hoarding supplies was the theme for Jennifer Rice in the Legislature on Wednesday, with the Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness offering up some guidance for British Columbians as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the province.

Speaking in the Afternoon session, Ms. Rice spoke to her usual advice of the need to have a tock of essential on hand as for any emergency, but cautioned agains excessive stockpiling of items as has been seen in some parts of the Lower Mainland in recent weeks.

As B.C.'s Parliamentary Secretary for Emergency Preparedness, I encourage individuals to learn about the risks in your area, to make a plan and build or buy an emergency kit, to always have a minimum of three days — but preferably at least one week — of food and water and other essentials such as prescription medications on hand. 

This is good practice preparing for any type of hazard, whether that's a power outage, fire, flood, earthquake or disease outbreak. So, I find myself in a bit of dilemma when I see British Columbians rush out in a flurry of fear-driven stockpiling because of anxiety around the coronavirus. 

With the British Columbia government now noting thirteen cases of the COVID-19 virus recorded in the province, Ms. Rice outlined some of the personal measures we can take to take as a precaution to prevent the transmission of the virus.

It's always wise to be prepared, but the most important measures people can take today to prevent the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19, is to proactively prevent the transmission of respiratory illness, including COVID-19. 

This includes washing your hands regularly, avoid touching your face, cough or sneeze into your elbow sleeve and dispose of tissues appropriately. 

Besides health care professionals, masks should be only used by the sick to prevent transmission to other people. It may be less effective to wear a mask in the community when a person is not sick themselves. 

Masks may give a person a false sense of security and are likely to increase the number of times a person will touch their own face — for example, to adjust the mask. It's also very important to stay home and away from others if you or your family are sick. 

With the travel heavy Spring Break just over the horizon, She also, provided some guidelines for British Columbians when it comes to their travel plans during the COVID-19 outbreak

Travellers should monitor the government of Canada travel site for the latest travel advisories. 

While the risk of spread of COVID-19 within British Columbia remains low at this time, we continue widespread testing by screening British Columbians and travellers with symptoms, along with their close contacts, to identify cases. 

 In B.C., we continue to be in active containment mode to detect cases and respond to prevent the virus from spreading in the community. 

The Ministry of Health, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, working with partners, including EMBC, have plans in place and are prepared to respond to new illnesses of public health concern. 

You can review her presentation to the Legislature Below


For more notes on the latest updates on the COVID-19 virus outbreak, see our archive page here.

Further notes on the work of the MLA in the Legislature can be viewed here.