The 10th death in BC is connected to the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver

And another British Columbian has died of COVID-19, and 74 more people have contracted the virus

B.C's top doctor is ordering all personal care services to close down to flatten the curve

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — In the latest move to encourage social distancing, B.C.’s Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ordered all spas, salons and personal services to close.

The Saturday update from Henry also announced new measures to stop the spread of COVID-19.

“I know most of these businesses have closed, but it comes to my attention that there is still some confusion of whether they should be opened or not. So we want to make it very clear.”

She added that she was aware of community cases in the province has lead to infecting front health care workers.

“As these [businesses] require direct personal contact with other people and that is impossible to deliver while maintaining an appropriate distance,” she told media.

The news came as hundreds of doctors at Fraser Health asked Henry to close all non-essential businesses and enforce social distancing before thousands in this province die amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Gerald Da Roza, head of Medicine at Royal Columbian Hospital, wrote a letter on behalf of all physicians at the hospital to implement these measures immediately.

He said the government also needed to close beaches and parks or enforce stricter measures.

Da Roza added that B.C. is following the same trajectory that Italy did, which had over 700 deaths on Saturday, but, he said, it would preventable with stronger containment.

Another COVID-19 related-death was reported Saturday, raising B.C.’s total fatalities to ten.

There were also another 76 added cases of COVID-19 bringing the total up to 424 infection, as of Saturday.

Ten people in the province have now died from the novel coronavirus.