What you need to know about COVID-19 in B.C. on April 10, 2020

THE LATEST:

• 40 new cases of COVID-19 and five more deaths were announced Friday. 
• The total number of people who have tested positive in B.C. is now 1,410.
• 55 people have died.
• 879 patients have recovered from the illness.
• There were 128 COVID-19 patients in hospital as of Friday, including 65 in intensive care.
• The outbreak at Mission Institution continues to grow, with 24 cases now confirmed.
• People in B.C. should not be travelling this long weekend unless it is absolutely essential.

As the long weekend begins, health officials in B.C. are warning that the province's progress on bending the COVID-19 curve could be lost if people don't resist the temptation to travel or gather with friends.

"We are not over the hump yet. We are going to have a bumpy ride for a while," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Thursday.

"Going into this long weekend, it is more important than ever that we keep going."

Henry said it is OK to go outside for a walk and a bit of fresh air, but only with people you live with and away from crowds. Many city parks have blocked off their parking lots to discourage visitors from out of town, and B.C. Parks has shut down all provincial parks for the same reason.

Leaving town to spend the weekend at a second property in a smaller, more rural community is also not advised.

The province's top doctor acknowledged outings will be tougher than ever to resist, given the good weather on a holiday weekend, but family gatherings will put people at risk and threaten B.C.'s progress. 

Locals in smaller communities across the province voiced their frustrations Friday as visitors began arriving for the long weekend, potentially carrying COVID-19 to remote areas that don't have the resources to handle a major outbreak. 

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To date, B.C. has confirmed 1,410 cases of the virus and reported 55 deaths.

The number of fully recovered patients is now 879 patients.

There are now 20 active outbreaks in long-term care homes in the Lower Mainland, while the number of cases at Mission Institution, a federal prison, continues to climb, with 24 confirmed.

Henry published a statement Friday addressing the public's questions around wearing cloth masks. She said medical masks should be saved for health-care professionals, but a cloth mask is a personal choice. 

She said the masks will help you avoid spreading any illness to others, but "will not protect you from COVID-19."

"Choosing to wear such a face covering is like coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your sleeve," Henry wrote. "Using a cloth mask does not give you permission to disregard physical distancing and self-isolation orders."

She stressed that the best way to stay healthy is to regularly wash your hands and avoid touching your face.

• Find Dr. Henry's full statement on masks here

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reiterated Friday the physical distancing measures must continue. He has said "normality" will not return until a vaccine is developed, which could take up to one year.

• Your guide to financial help available for people in B.C. affected by the crisis
• How to apply for EI and COVID-19 emergency benefits
• Get the latest advisories, updates and cancellations for B.C.

Top stories today

• Correctional Service Canada is now reporting 24 cases of COVID-19 at Mission Institution in B.C.'s Fraser Valley, an outbreak that doctors and lawyers believe could have been prevented.
• Municipalities are scrambling to prevent crowding in popular urban parks and beaches this weekend.
• At least one school district in B.C. is telling its teachers not to use Zoom, a video-conferencing tool recently licensed by the B.C. government, over privacy and security concerns.
• B.C.'s provincial health officer says she has no plans to create projections of how many people might die of COVID-19, calling the eventual death toll an unpredictable number.
• An emergency room physician is returning to work at St. Paul's Hospital this week with a new perspective after recovering from COVID-19. 
• As many churches and public buildings are closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, one Catholic parish in Vancouver is adapting by offering drive-thru confessionals.
• B.C. hospitals are taking part in the global effort to determine which drugs, if any, are effective in treating COVID-19 patients.
• E-Comm 911 says it's received inappropriate emergency calls from people with questions about whether a full lockdown is in effect, which public facilities have been closed and event cancellations.

What's happening elsewhere in Canada

As of 4 p.m. PT on Friday, Canada had 22,148 confirmed and presumptive cases of COVID-19. The provinces and territories that provide data on recovered cases listed 6,025 as resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths, which is based on public health information and reporting, lists 621 COVID-19-related deaths in Canada, as well as two coronavirus-linked deaths of Canadians abroad.

The numbers, which are updated at least daily by the provinces and territories, are not a complete picture, as they don't account for people who haven't been tested, those being investigated as a potential case and people still waiting for test results. 

For a look at what's happening across the country and the world, check the CBC interactive case tracker.

If you have a COVID-19-related story we should pursue that affects British Columbians, please email us at impact@cbc.ca