B.C. health officials are again reminding people to keep social circles small, particularly in the Fraser Health region, the epicentre of rising case counts.

Deputy Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Reka Gustafson says much of the recent transmission is connected to ‘uncontrolled’ social gatherings in private homes.

“Where there is unnecessary crowding, where there are too many people and there aren’t the safety protocols in place because its in a person’s home and they haven’t thought to have safety protocols in place,” she said.

Gustafson adds if people want to gather together with their safe-six, to do so in places like restaurants where there are COVID-19 safety plans in place.

“There are so many places have learned to operate safety. So those are the kinds of settings,” she said. “We do see transmission in some workplaces but again it tends to be outside of area where there are safety protocols.”

Health officials announced a new record of 425 cases today – 268 in Fraser Health alone, one day after reporting 335 new cases of the virus – of which 205 were in Fraser Health.

Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin, the chief medical health officer for Fraser Health, says about 75 to 80 per cent of new cases are linked to a known exposure, leaving about 20 per cent of infections with an unknown source.

Brodkin adds the timelines for contact tracing depend on the individual case and circumstance, but she says public health workers in Fraser Health are generally meeting their timelines for following up with people who have been exposed to COVID-19.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry say in a joint statement that COVID-19 doesn’t recognize regional borders.

Dix also says the province continues to consult with young people and will work to tailor public guidance to meet their needs, as cases are spiking among young people.

“Many of our leaders in this effort have been young people in communities and I very much appreciate their efforts,”  he said. “I also want to say how much I appreciate the work done every day by people both at the post secondary level but also in schools both elementary and secondary.”

Dix also noted that B.C. health officials need to also make its COVID-19 message more effective for people who don’t speak English as their first language.