4.09°C Vancouver

May 7, 2020 7:30 PM -

Dr. Theresa Tam: Going to a cottage or a second home can be a bad idea

Share On
dr-theresa-tam-going-to-a-cottage-or-a-second-home-can-be-a-bad-idea
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. Tam says a COVID-19 outbreak gripping the northern Saskatchewan community of La Loche is an area of concern.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Dr. Theresa Tam says it's a bad idea to go to a cottage or a second home if you risk straining local health resources.

Rules and advice on how to apply that will vary from province to province and situation to situation, though.

In Ontario, for instance, Premier Doug Ford has called on people who own cottages not to leave city homes for them over the upcoming Victoria Day weekend, after previously saying he thought it might be OK.

Tam says part of the concern is about spreading the virus that causes COVID-19, and part is about simply having too many people heading to places that don't have the local hospital capacity to treat them if they got sick.



(Millionth test for COVID-19 conducted)



Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada has conducted its millionth test for COVID-19, and about six per cent of the people tested have been confirmed as positive cases.

Nearly half of those who tested positive are considered recovered at this point, but more than 4,000 people have died of the illness.

The country's chief public health officer says mental health is a growing concern amid the pandemic, but one thing that helps many people is feeling as though they're helping and making a difference.

For children, she says being creative and cheering people up with art can achieve that.

Latest news

alberta-election-agency-approves-proposed-separation-referendum-question
AlbertaDec 23, 2025

Alberta election agency approves proposed separation referendum question

Alberta’s election authority has approved a proposed referendum question that would ask voters whether the province should separate from Canada and become an independent country. Elections Alberta confirmed the question meets the technical requirements under provincial legislation. The wording asks voters whether they agree that Alberta should cease to be part of Canada in order to become an independent state. The application was submitted by the Alberta Prosperity Project, an organization that advocates for increased provincial autonomy and independence. The group now has until early Januar
BCDec 23, 2025

Second-degree murder charge laid nearly six years after Maple Ridge homicide

Nearly six years after the body of 24-year-old Edi Bogere was found on a vacant forested property in Maple Ridge, homicide investigators say charges have now been approved in the case. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirms that a 31-year-old Port Coquitlam man has been charged in connection with Bogere’s death, which was first deemed suspicious in January 2020 after Ridge Meadows RCMP responded to the scene and requested IHIT assistance. Investigators believe Bogere was last seen leaving his home in Coquitlam on the evening of December 27, 2019. His body was discovered two week
vancouver-police-search-for-driver-after-fatal-hit-and-run-in-east-vancouver
BCDec 23, 2025

Vancouver police search for driver after fatal hit-and-run in East Vancouver

Vancouver Police are investigating a fatal hit-and-run that claimed the life of an elderly pedestrian in East Vancouver early Tuesday morning. Officers say the collision occurred shortly after 6:30 a.m. on Rupert Street near Euclid Avenue. Police and BC Emergency Health Services responded to reports that an 81-year-old woman had been struck by a vehicle. The driver did not remain at the scene and was last seen travelling northbound on Rupert Street. The woman died at the scene before she could be taken to hospital. Investigators believe the vehicle involved is a dark grey Volkswagen Golf, like
BCDec 23, 2025

RCMP investigate cause of fire that damaged Grand Forks motel

Police in Grand Forks are investigating the cause of a fire that damaged several units at a local motel late Sunday evening. The incident occurred at Johnny’s Motel along Highway 3 and prompted a response from emergency crews shortly after 8:30 p.m. According to the RCMP, officers were called to assist the Grand Forks Fire Service after a vehicle caught fire in the motel’s carport area. Flames then spread to the building, affecting multiple units before being brought under control. No injuries were reported. Staff Sergeant Kris Clark of the BC RCMP said investigators are continuing to exam
police-investigate-suspicious-death-of-woman-in-merritt
BCDec 23, 2025

Police investigate suspicious death of woman in Merritt

Police in Merritt are investigating a suspicious death after a woman was found with fatal injuries over the weekend, prompting the involvement of the RCMP’s Major Crime Unit. Mounties say officers were called on December 20 to assist BC Emergency Health Services in the 2000-block of Nicola Avenue after reports of a woman in medical distress. The woman, a Merritt resident in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene. RCMP have confirmed the circumstances surrounding the death are considered suspicious, and the Southeast District Major Crime Unit has taken over conduct of the investigation. Po

Related News