The Province of B.C. held a special meeting today, Nov. 7, highlighting 22 new COVID-19 in the Interior Health region overnight.

Across the province, 567 new cases have been confirmed, bringing B.C.’s total to 17,716.

In a special update Saturday, Henry voiced concern at the rapid increase.

In the Lower Mainland, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered a stop to all social group gatherings and indoor activities in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health regions for the next two weeks. Funerals and weddings may proceed with immediate household only, but no gatherings outside this are to take place.

READ MORE: Lower Mainland residents face new restrictions after another 567 new COVID-19 cases reported in B.C.

“I know this is hard, I know we don’t want to have to be doing this,” said Henry.

Henry clarified the orders put in place today are regional orders for Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions only.

Asked why the orders were not implemented across the province, Henry said other regions are not seeing the same rapid increase the Vancouver area is currently experiencing.

Overnight, 122 new cases were identified in Vancouver Coastal, and 411 in Fraser Health. Around the province, 100 people are in hospital with 31 in critical care.

However, Henry said this does not mean current restrictions in other regions should be lifted.

“It does not mean that we are out of the woods and can back off in other areas of the province,” said Henry.

Minister of Health Adrian Dix said the cases in other regions like Interior Health are nothing like the rising cases seen in the area around Vancouver and Coastal Health regions, but are still significant.

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