Media Contacts

Ministry of Health

Communications
250 952-1887 (media line)

Backgrounders

Emergency management protocols

The Ministry of Health and the Office of the Provincial Health Officer have emergency management protocols in place to respond to the ongoing risk of 2019-nCoV. 

The protocols include operating a Provincial Co-ordinating Committee, co-chaired by B.C.’s provincial health officer and deputy minister of health, that centralizes co-ordination and oversight of work underway at BC Emergency Health Service, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), HealthLink, Provincial Health Services Authority, local medical health officers and primary-care clinicians.

The protocols help ensure timely information and communication on situational updates, co-ordinate responses to emerging issues, and that all required resources are available for preparedness and response – including staffing and supply capacity.

Federal and provincial public-health teams are in regular communication with health-care providers, public-health and airport authorities to keep them apprised of the situation.

Health-care workers throughout B.C. are continuing to be vigilant for further 2019-nCoV cases and will report suspected cases to local medical health officers for further investigation.

Anyone who is concerned they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of, the coronavirus should contact their primary-care provider, local public health office or call 811.

British Columbians should avoid all travel to the province of Hubei, including the cities of Wuhan, Huanggang and Ezhou, due to heavy travel restrictions to limit the spread of 2019-nCoV.

Anyone travelling to or from China is advised to visit the federal travel and tourism website, the source of destination-specific travel information that provides advice to help travellers make informed decisions and travel safely while abroad: www.travel.gc.ca