Evening Update for March 27th, 2020.

NANAIMO —BC's Health officer says she is starting to see some glimmers of hope when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Bonnie Henry says while the number of cases continues to climb, the rate of infection is lower than the Canadian average. Henry says BC may see a levelling-off of cases within the next two weeks if people have been practising safe distancing, self-isolation and proper hand-washing. Currently, BC has 67 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the BC total to 792. There are now 57 confirmed cases in the Vancouver Island Health Region.

Meanwhile, the island's first COVID-19 case at a seniors' home has been reported in Campbell River. One resident at the Berwick by the Sea retirement home has tested positive and is receiving care from a group of staff that will not be serving any other residents. The other residents are quarantined in their rooms and are having their food and care delivered separately.

Health officials are confident they have enough ventilators and acute care beds to handle a COVID-19 crisis as bad as what Italy is experiencing. The Ministry of Health has released a set of charts that show how it would use hospitals and deploy equipment to manage outbreaks equivalent to what has been seen in China and northern Italy. The data predicts the Island Health Region will likely see a higher percentage of critical care hospitalizations compared to other regions in BC because of a higher percentage of seniors.

The Prime Minister has announced new programs to help small and medium-sized businesses. Justin Trudeau says Ottawa will pay 75 percent of employee wages, to keep workers on the payroll. A new Canada Emergency Business Account will allow businesses to apply for up to $40,000 in interest-free bank loans, that will be guaranteed by the federal government. And, businesses do not have to remit the GST, or duty and import taxes to Ottawa until June.

Starting soon, people who like to shop at farmers' markets will have a new way to get their produce. The BC Association of Farmers' Markets is helping 145 markets to set up digital shopping sites and the province's Buy BC program will pay the fee for farmers' markets to go online.

And, the province has announced help for the arts community, with a $3 million Arts and Cultural Resilience Supplement. Arts organizations and venues have been ordered closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, eligible arts projects will receive up to $15,000 early next month, to help them pay their bills. The BC Arts Council will also give operating clients a 50 percent advance on their annual funding to help with their cash flow.

Featured

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.

Have a tip? Email: news@chly.ca Find us on social media at Twitter: @lisacordasco / @chly1017FM

Funded by Sustaining Donors and the Community Radio Fund of Canada and Heritage Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative. Sustain CHLY’s News Department for many years to come by signing up for a monthly Sustaining Donation.