Evening Update for March 26th, 2020.

NANAIMO —BC's Provincial Health Officer says cases of COVID-19 on Vancouver Island are a mix of international travel and local transmission. Dr. Bonnie Henry says there have been no cases in care homes on the island. There are 52 confirmed cases of the virus in the Island Health region, with five new cases confirmed in the last 24 hours.

Help is on the way for seniors who live at home and are having a hard time getting groceries, medicine, rides to appointments or who just need someone to talk to. BC's Senior's Advocate says elders who live at home are more fearful, isolated and vulnerable as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And their caregivers, usually other family members or neighbours, are burning out. Isobel Mackenzie says that's why she's announced an expansion of the provincial 2-1-1 telephone hotline. Mackenzie says 2-1-1 operators will link at-home seniors to agencies or volunteers who can assist. MacKenzie is calling on younger British Columbians to call the service and sign up as volunteers. This latest initiative is part of a $50 million dollar package announced earlier this week, which includes more funding to the United Way's "Better at Home" programs that deliver services to seniors.

People who hoard or try to resell food, medicine or medical supplies could face jail time or fines of up to $25,000 dollars. BC's Minister of Public Safety has announced sweeping new powers over consumers, retailers and distributors. Mike Farnworth says it's necessary to ensure the supply of food and medical equipment is secure. Retailers have been ordered to limit the amount of essential supplies it sells to shoppers, to prevent hoarding and empty shelves. Those retailers have been told to report their protective equipment inventories to a newly created Provincial Supply Chain Coordination Unit. The Unit will have the power to redirect supplies to where they are needed.

Meanwhile, municipalities are being asked to provide the unit with lists of publicly owned spaces that could be used for isolation, testing, medical care, warehousing and distribution.

The imminent shortage of illegal drugs in BC has prompted the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to empower doctors to write prescriptions for narcotics like heroin. They will be included in a new set of clinical guidelines for patients with substance misuse that will be made public soon.

Check out our website at chly.ca/podcasts for extended interviews, programs like Students in the Know and news updates any time you like.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said that most COVID-19 cases on Vancouver Island were from international travel. According to the BC CDC on March 23, there were 3 travel, 2 local + travel, 14 local, 2 unknown and 7 pending exposures in the Island Health region at that time. CHLY regrets the error.

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Lisa Cordasco

Senior Reporter and News Director — Lisa is responsible for creating the station's first morning news current affairs show on CHLY. She is also deeply involved in training and mentoring student and citizen journalists who volunteer their time at the station. Before joining CHLY, Lisa spent 35 years in various roles at CBC Radio, from host to reporter. Her passion for journalism and radio has led her to Nanaimo, where she intends to provide CHLY listeners with news they can use, in an alternative radio environment. Her other not-so-secret passion is costuming for any occasion.

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