Minutes after the B.C. Ministry of Health issued a health order closing down all events and gatherings over more than 50 people, the City of Langford made their own announcement.

According to a statement on Monday afternoon, Langford has shut down both City Centre Park and the North Langford Recreation Centre.

“It is in the best interest of public health and safety to close all recreation outlets including Westhills YW/YMCA, all public libraries and other indoor public amenities,” reads the statement from the city.

“Closures should remain in effect for 30 days and be continually reviewed to determine if the closure should be extended.”

The city is also reducing Council meetings to once monthly and has suspended all Committee meetings until further notice.

The statement also confirms that there are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Langford, but “we have the responsibility and opportunity to flatten the curve and get ahead of this situation.”

In keeping with this morning’s provincial health order, Langford is also discouraging gatherings of 50 or more people.

“Residents should consider not attending any small or medium sized public gatherings to limit the spread of the virus.”

See all the latest updates about the global COVID-19 pandemic on Vancouver Island

In a message to Victoria Buzz this morning, Victoria mayor Lisa Helps said an updated announcement about the city’s response to COVID-19 will be made after the federal and provincial press conferences this morning.

This announcement is expected to be made at 3 p.m. today.

There are now 30 new cases of novel coronavirus in B.C., including seven on Vancouver Island, bringing the total number of cases to 103 in the province.

Six people are now in acute care in hospital, while everyone else is recovering at home in isolation, in stable condition. Three people have died due to novel coronavirus, all of whom were residents at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver. This brings the COVID-19 death toll to four in B.C.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the federal government will be denying entry to Canada to people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents in Canada.

Designated exceptions to this rule include U.S. citizens, airline crews, diplomats, and people whose immediate families are Canadian.

Moreover international flights will now be restricted to international airports in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary.

Further federal measures to financially support Canadians, particularly the most vulnerable population, are expected to be announced on Tuesday.

The BCCDC has set up a 2019 novel coronavirus telephone information line at 1-833-784-4397 for those who have further questions about this disease.

Anyone concerned that they may have been exposed to, or are experiencing symptoms of the novel coronavirus, should contact their primary care provider, local public health office, or call 8-1-1.

As of the time of publication, the total number of COVID-19 patients worldwide has risen to 175,769.

Nearly 6,800 people have died from the illness and 77,868 have made a full recovery.