VICTORIA -- B.C. health officials say 81 new cases of COVID-19 were discovered in the province over the past 72 hours.

Two more residents of long-term care homes have died of COVID-19, bringing the province’s death toll to 193, officials announced Monday.

In total, 36 cases were discovered between Friday and Saturday, 21 were confirmed between Saturday and Sunday and 24 were discovered between Sunday and Monday.

B.C. has now seen a total of 3,500 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.

There are now 264 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, including 11 people who are in hospital for treatment, three of whom require critical care.

No new outbreaks have appeared in B.C.’s health-care system, though three outbreaks continue at two long-term care homes and one hospital acute-care unit.

One new community outbreak has been announced at a packaging plant in the Fraser Health region.

A total of 15 COVID-19 cases have been linked to the facility.

“Fraser Health is working with the plant to do ongoing testing with residents and workers,” said Henry.

Meanwhile, a community outbreak in Haida Gwaii that was announced on Friday is ongoing.

Health officials say that a total of 14 cases have been linked to the outbreak in the coastal community.

“Over 1,010 people are required to self-isolate in B.C. because they have been identified as being exposed to COVID-19 and are at a high risk at the moment,” said Henry.

She reiterated that anyone who has been instructed to self-isolate because of possible COVID-19 exposure must do so for two weeks, saying “this is not optional, it is a requirement.”

New limits on guests at vacation properties

Henry also announced a new provincial health order related to short-term vacation rental properties and resorts.

Guests staying in these spaces – including hotel rooms, cabins and boats – can only have a maximum of five visitors in addition to the maximum capacity of the space.

Property owners who are renting these spaces will be responsible for making sure that these guidelines are being adhered to and that contact information is being collected in case of COVID-19 exposure.

This new health order is being introduced following exposure events related to gatherings in B.C.’s Interior around the Canada Day long weekend.

Most coronavirus cases in B.C. have been located in the province’s Lower Mainland, with 1,800 discovered in the Fraser Health region and 1,064 confirmed in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.

The Island Health region has now seen 143 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, an increase of one case since Friday.

Elsewhere in the province, the Interior Health region has seen 353 cases while the Northern Health region has reported 80 cases.

A total of 3,043 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the province.