B.C. has been under a provincial state of emergency for 32 weeks due to COVID-19, breaking the previous record three times over.
On Tuesday (Oct. 27), the ministry of public safety expanded the state of emergency a further 14 days – the maximum amount of time a government can extend the declaration at once.
The original declaration was made on March 18, the day after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry declared the growing spread of COVID-19 a public health emergency.
A state of emergency, a measure authorized by the Emergency Program Act, allows the government in power to implement provincial emergency measures without having to undergo a vote in the B.C. Legislature.
During the 2017 wildfire season, the province was in a provincial state of emergency for 10 weeks, from July 7 to Sept. 15.
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