Photo: Glacier Media

Dr. Bonnie Henry has called on British Columbians to “do more” to bend the province’s curve of new COVID cases.

But, the request has some feeling frustrated, wondering what more they could be doing.

B.C. Greens Leader Sonia Furstenau took to Twitter to say she believes the vast majority of people are “doing literally ­everything they can” and, judging by the reaction — nearly 1,000 likes, almost 300 retweets and dozens of comments sharing the sentiment — many are feeling like their efforts are already maxed out.

Furstenau said in an interview most British Columbians have given up seeing their family and friends, attending funerals to say goodbye to loved ones, meeting newborn babies and enjoying favourite hobbies. They’ve abstained from ­religious gatherings and sacrificed a traditional Christmas or winter holiday.

“People’s worlds have already become very, very small. And then it’s hard to hear, OK, do more,” Furstenau said.

Instead, it should be the government doing more, she said, especially given the heightened concern around new variants of the virus brought to the province through international travel.

Furstenau said there’s “a long list” of changes that British Columbians have been asking for, including mandatory masks and better ventilation in schools, travel restrictions instead of recommendations, paid sick days for essential workers and more transparency around where COVID-19 clusters are occurring.

Premier John Horgan said last week the province wouldn’t ban travellers from going in and out of the province after ­undertaking a legal review that suggested the bulk of travel was for work and therefore protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

On Tuesday, Manitoba became the latest province to require everyone entering to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. The Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador also require out-of-province people to quarantine for 14 days.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned that new travel measures are coming and said any Canadians planning a trip should cancel it.

Frederick Grouzet, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Victoria, said the “do more” message is not necessarily the wrong approach, but it could be improved by encouraging others to talk to friends who may not be following provincial advice.

“It’s important to not try to impose on the other person what to do, to tell them what to do,” he said. “This is what could create some conflicts … people could be very defensive.”