BC health officials call out "marginal views" of coronavirus conspiracy theorists

On Monday afternoon, BC health officials addressed a viral video of protesters in Vancouver, describing the actions as coming from “marginal views.”

The 40-second clip was uploaded on Sunday and showed a small group of people marching towards Vancouver City Hall in protest of the “unlawful orders and lockdowns.”

Protest to end the lockdown happening now in Vancouver #endthelockdown pic.twitter.com/SkuNKuyQoZ

— Dan Dicks (@DanDicksPFT) April 12, 2020

The video was uploaded by Dan Dicks, a self-described “investigative journalist” and a “documentary filmmaker.”

“A number of Vancouverites aren’t drinking the Kool-Aid,” he said in the recording. “They’re getting out and they’re getting together here to show the world that we’re not okay with unlawful orders, and quarantines, and lockdowns.”

Health Minister Adrian Dix responded by saying that these are just “one or two examples of people behaving very badly.”

“That may be inevitable in these times that people are attempting to, essentially, promote themselves,” he told reporters on Monday. “What I think, genuinely, if you look in any depth at their other views, are marginal views.”

Dix says that at the end of the day, the goal remains to focus on what British Columbians can do together.

“Don’t allow people who are attempting to promote themselves by using the suffering of others to distract us,” he adds. “Don’t promote them, don’t look at them, but focus on what we need to do together.”

Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry added that the concerns raised show that people are paying attention.

“I think it reflects that people are paying attention,” she said. “They may be looking at videos that tell them to break the rules because of concern — I get a lot of emails about it.”

Henry reiterates that being outside is essential for one’s health, although physical distancing is of utmost importance.

“I do think it is important to go outside,” she stresses. “I think it’s important for our mental health as well as our physical health, and our family health — so I encourage people to go outside, but do it in a way that maintains that distance.”

“We know this virus can’t magically jump between people. When you are outside; if you have that distance between you, you’re being safe.”

During Monday’s announcement, health officials announced 45 new test-positive coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the provincial total to 1,490. Twenty-five new cases were discovered between April 11 and April 12, and 20 new cases were discovered in the last 24 hours.

Eleven more people have also died because of the virus, bringing BC’s coronavirus death toll to 69.