B.C. stands by vaccine passport, mask rules as other provinces ease mandates

B.C. hasn’t rushed to follow the lead of other provinces when it comes to scrapping its COVID-19 vaccine passport system or ditching mask mandates.

Though Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are expected to announce some easing of measures when they hold a news conference later this week, Dix is standing by B.C.’s decision to keep some orders in place as long as it has.

Many jurisdictions across Canada have either announced plans to scale back on those requirements or have already dropped them entirely.

“At present the mask order, the mandatory mask order for indoor public spaces is in place in B.C. It’s the law, people should follow it. At present, the B.C. vaccine card is in place and it is enormously successful in British Columbia,” Dix told reporters Monday.

Dix says the province is “following the science” when it comes to restrictions.

“You look over the pandemic, there have been fewer changes in B.C. than other jurisdictions. That effect has been positive,” he added.

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“We have the B.C. Vaccine Card in place, we have the mask mandate in place, yes other jurisdictions — with, by the way, higher hospitalizations than we have — have decided to change those. But we are responding to our pandemic in B.C. in a balanced and I think pretty responsible way.”

Dix says he’s always interested in what other provincial leaders have to say. However, he’s standing by Henry and B.C.’s public health officials in their decisions around pandemic measures.

Current public health measures in B.C. are set to expire on March 16., however the province has not given a date for when the mask mandates or vaccine passport rules could be lifted.