Home »
State of emergency extended to August 4
The B.C. government July 21 formally extended the provincial state of emergency, allowing Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act to support the province’s COVID-19 pandemic response.
“I want to commend everyone in British Columbia for following public health advice to reduce transmission and keep everyone safe from COVID-19,” said Premier John Horgan. “However, we are still in the midst of a pandemic, and we’re not out of the woods yet. As a government, we are working to ensure the supports people need during this unprecedented time continue to be available, which is why we’re extending provincial state of emergency today.”
The state of emergency is extended through the end of the day on Tuesday, August 4, to allow government to continue to take the necessary actions to keep British Columbians safe.
“While some restrictions have been eased, we must stay the course to flatten the COVID-19 curve,” Farnworth said. “This means that even as British Columbians start to carefully adjust to life in Phase 3, we are maintaining the necessary critical supports to respond to and alleviate the effects of this pandemic.”
On July 10, the COVID-19 Related Measures Act came into force. The legislation enables provisions created for people and businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to continue as needed after the provincial state of emergency ends.
Declarations of provincial states of emergency may be issued by the minister responsible under the Emergency Program Act.
The provincial government can extend the period of a declaration made by the minister responsible for further periods of time for up to 14 days at a time.
e-KNOW
