Here’s the latest news for Surrey, White Rock and beyond for Wednesday, April 1. This will be updated as information becomes available:
• B.C. recorded one more death, but 606 people have now fully recovered from COVID-19, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a briefing this afternoon (April 1).
• The BC Seniors Games slated for September in various venues throughout Richmond from Sept. 15 to 19 have been cancelled.
• Mental health experts in South Surrey and White Rock have banded together to create a single website where people looking for support can find connections to the resources they need.
• Surrey’s two largest hotels are now closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• BC Hydro is offering a three-month bill credit for residential customers and small businesses who have lost work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Businesses hoping to apply for Canada’s 75 per cent wage subsidy will have to wait several weeks to get that money, according to Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
• Sometimes – especially during a global pandemic – you just need to have a good laugh.
• Canadians are now relying on social media to stay connected more than ever before, sharing texts, memes and often arranging routine video chats with friends to stave off feelings of loneliness that come with long-term isolation.
• Spring has sprung and home digging projects could be on the rise with many B.C. residents practising social distancing.
• Affordable access to asthma medication is a serious gap in Canada’s healthcare system with dangerous implications during the COVID-19 pandemic, says a B.C. man who suffers from the condition.
• In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Delta police say someone has stolen catalytic converters off of ambulances being repaired in Delta.
• Local businesses large and small are “freaking out” about not being able to make rent today, Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman says.
• The Liberals have greatly expanded the 75 per cent wage subsidy since its approval.
• B.C. Premier John Horgan has extended B.C.’s state of emergency for a second two weeks, warning that everyone’s efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus are needed more than ever in the days ahead.
• Surrey Mounties say they’ve got a good tracking system to keep tabs on any police officers who may be experiencing an illness and the pandemic has not resulted in any substantial absenteeism among the ranks.
• A lawyer for the family of a North Vancouver dentist who died at home with COVID-19 says he was a dedicated health care professional who made patient care and safety his top priority.
• Two inmates have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, at the federal maximum-security prison in Quebec currently housing serial killer Robert Pickton.
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