New provincial health restrictions coming on Monday

Dec 17, 2021 | 1:17 PM

NORTHERN BC- New province-wide restrictions are coming into effect on Monday, and will last until January 31. This is due to the ongoing rapid spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. So far, there have been 135 cases of the Omicron variant of concern identified in BC, with numbers expected to rise rapidly. Many of these restrictions align with the ones currently in place in Northern Health.

All New Year’s Eve organized gatherings and events will be restricted to being seated-only events, with no mingling or dancing allowed. Restaurants may remain open during this time. Restaurant attendees are no longer allowed to move about the establishment to socialize with other tables, and they need to wear masks when not seated.

All sporting tournaments for both youth and adults will be paused during this time. Teams can still continue to travel for single games.

Venues with a maximum capacity of 1,000 or more will only be able to operate at 50% capacity. Indoor personal gatherings are limited to an additional 10 people, or one additional household maximum if all attendees aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated. BC vaccine cards must be scanned at all organized events, no matter the size.

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While there are no restrictions for travelling throughout different health authorities, health officials urge people to stay home, especially unvaccinated residents. This comes after the federal government strongly advised against cross-boarder travel. In addition to the provincial health officer orders, residents are advised to limit indoor gatherings to those who are fully vaccinated and to ensure proper ventilation indoors.

“We need to take these measures until we understand the full impact Omicron will have in the BC context. It is imperative people follow the new orders in how they celebrate this season. However, there are many things we can now do safely with reasonable and prudent measures like wearing a mask, staying home when sick, getting tested and, most importantly, getting fully vaccinated,” said Henry.

by Dione Wearmouth

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New provincial health restrictions coming on Monday

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