FILE PHOTO - Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Province of B.C.
February 15, 2022 - 1:33 PM
As expected, provincial health officials announced a gradual easing in COVID-19 restrictions that will start at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow, Feb. 16.
The easing of restrictions come at a time when B.C. is among the most vaccinated places in the world. Case counts and hospitalization rates are coming down but are still very high, according to documents released by health authorities during a technical briefing today, Feb. 15.
This is also a time when treatments are coming into place for dealing with the disease when people get sick.
The changes mean indoor personal gatherings return to pre-pandemic normal.
Full capacity will be allowed at indoor and outdoor organized events, as long as people are masked and show their B.C. Vaccine Cards. The same goes for indoor seated events such as theatres, sporting events and movie theatres.
Fitness centres, adult sports, dance and swimming are at full capacity and there are no restrictions on adult tournaments as long as people are masked and vaccinated.
Restaurants, bars and nightclubs can go to full capacity with no table limits. Mingling and dancing are allowed, again with masks and the B.C. Vaccine Card system in place.
READ MORE: Why booster shots are important if you don’t want to get COVID
Rules still in place include masks in indoor public spaces, the B.C. Vaccine Card, COVID safety plans, restrictions on long-term care visitations, along with guidelines for schools, childcare facilities and faith communities staying in place. Orders on child and youth overnight camps along with industrial camps stay in place for now.
Health officials said this is the first step back to normalcy but people must continue to be prepared for further variants and may need further booster doses.
"These changes are taking effect after careful review of where we are in this pandemic, and the credit goes to all British Columbians for their action to protect themselves, their families and their communities," provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. "We will continue to rely on what is happening in B.C., science and evidence to guide our next steps in this journey to protect people from COVID-19 while safely easing restrictions."
While other provinces are eliminating vaccine passports, B.C.’s approach is to keep them until they are reviewed in mid-March because it’s an effective tool in curtailing the spread of COVID and has helped the province avoid putting in some harsher restrictions as has been the case in some other jurisdictions. The hope is that there will be no return to the kinds of restrictions that are being lifted.
In the meantime, things like masks in indoor spaces, being vaccinated in certain settings, staying home when sick and washing hands need to continue.
The plan is to re-evaluate and monitor the course of the pandemic over the next two months and to review the remaining restrictions prior to Spring Break in mid-March and again in April prior to Easter.
As the pandemic eases, health authorities are going to move to weekly, rather than daily, updates.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2022