B.C. health officials urging residents to celebrate Diwali virtually this year as B.C. records more than 600 COVID-19 cases for the first time

British Columbia health officials are urging residents to celebrate Diwali virtually this year, as the province reports a new daily record number of COVID-19 cases.

B.C. recorded 617 new cases on Friday, for a total of 20,985.

Officials also reported two new COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the province's death toll to 290 over the course of the pandemic.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that the number of cases shows it is a critical time for B.C., and residents need to work together to slow the number of infections.

They say people who would normally be gathering to celebrate the South Asian holiday of Diwali this weekend should stay home and connect virtually with family members and friends.

The plea comes a day after modelling data showed the number of cases has doubled every 13 days in the past few weeks, making it harder for contact tracers to keep up and break the chains of transmission.