B.C. brings in sweeping new COVID-19 restrictions ahead of holidays

The province is bringing in a host of new COVID-19 restrictions Monday, mainly targeting gatherings and events.

Provincial health officials say these moves are necessary with COVID-19 case counts climbing and the presence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in B.C. The orders will be in place until at least the end of January.

“These are about ensuring everyone is staying small, staying with the people they know, and with people who are vaccinated,” Dr. Bonnie Henry said when announcing the restrictions Friday, noting a “rapid increase” in cases driven by the Omicron variant.

“It is moving quickly, and so must we. We will see rapidly rising cases over the next few weeks, and we need to take additional measures to slow that down so that we don’t overwhelm our hospital system. The virus is moving quickly and so must we.”

BREAKING: New Health orders in BC starting Monday until the end of January.
Christmas isn’t cancelled but NY Eve parties are.
As are sports tournaments.
Restaurants continuing operations as usual.
Summary of all restrictions attached#bcpoli #covid19 @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/t1wrSu8TEb

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) December 17, 2021

At-home gatherings will be limited to a household plus either 10 guests or one other household, and everyone will have to be fully vaccinated. Henry said the measures around these gatherings are meant to balance how important family and social connections are with the need to stop transmission.

“We have been through a lot in this province, and we need to be with family and friends over this period of time,” she said.

“We can still host a holiday meal but ensure everybody is fully vaccinated so that you can do that in the safest way possible. We can still socialize and spend time with others but do it in a way that doesn’t increase risk.”

Venues that hold more than 1,000 people will be limited to half capacity.

“These are events that have been managed very well, and we’re not seeing a lot of transmission,” Henry said.

“But with this highly transmissible variant, we need to have more space, more ventilation, and we need to ensure that we are enforcing the mask-wearing requirements that are in place for these events, and ensuring that we’re scanning QR codes for these events.”

#BREAKING
NEW RESTRICTIONS COMING TO B.C. STARTING MONDAY:
-Indoor personal gatherings limited to 10 people, or one other household
-Vaccine card program will now cover all events, even small ones
-Venues that hold 1,000+ people limited to 50% capacity

— Robyn Crawford (@robyncrawford_) December 17, 2021

The requirement to show the provincial vaccine card has been expanded to include events with fewer than 50 people.

Restrictions specific to New Year’s Eve will be in place, with Henry saying there is the potential for the holiday to be a super-spreader event.

Restaurants and bars will not see hours, liquor service, or capacity limited. However, organized parties will have to be canceled.

“Restaurants can have that special New Year’s Eve dinner. But there can be no mixing of guests for receptions for parties, and the ban on things like dancing and other higher-risk indoor activities remains in place.”

Those dining in at restaurants will be prevented from mingling with other tables as long as the order remains in effect.

Sports tournaments are also on hold while the order is in effect.

The contact tracing capacity in BC will not withstand this wait Dr Henry says so as they’ve had to before they will have to prioritize more risk situations.
This has happened in the past recently in the north.#bcpoli #covid19 @CityNewsVAN

— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) December 17, 2021

“We have seen that when you have tournaments, which is teams coming from many different places, coming together over a period of days — those are events where we can see the spread of this virus, and then taking it back to different communities.”

Retail stores will be required to have COVID-19 safety plans in place as they see an influx of Christmas and Boxing Day shoppers.

“This is not where we want to be,” Henry said.

“I recognize that this unrelenting uncertainty and this evolving situation is very unsettling for many people. It can cause a lot of anxiety, depression, and discouragement. While there are restrictions in place, there is so much that we can do now because we have these tools in place. We can continue to enjoy each other’s company, the warmth, kindness, and compassion of this holiday season. That doesn’t need to pause.”