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B.C. has been under a COVID-19 state of emergency for more than half the year

Province has been under a state of emergency for 32 weeks – and counting
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An elderly woman wearing a face mask to curb the spread of COVID-19 walks past an advertisement for a television series in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

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.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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