B.C. ready to lift remaining COVID restrictions, says premier

Concern of the next wave of COVID-19 in B.C. is increasing concern for some as more pandemic protections are lifting over the next week while the the downward slope of the last wave has stalled. Liza Yuzda reports.

By Liza Yuzda and Hana Mae Nassar and Denise Wong

Posted March 31, 2022 12:39 pm.

Last Updated March 31, 2022 6:36 pm.

COVID-19 testing numbers in B.C. are down significantly from where they were just months ago, but the province continues to move along its path to recovery, with the last of its remaining pandemic restrictions set to ease next week.

Despite ongoing cases, B.C. Premier John Horgan says he’s feeling confident in how things will go once remaining protections are eased, adding his confidence comes from people taking precautions, like vaccinations, to protect themselves and others.

He would not, however, say whether he believes the steps his province is taking signal the end of the pandemic.

“I am not in a position to declare endemic status as opposed to pandemic status — I’ll leave that to those who are better equipped for that. But I do know that people are feeling more comfortable — they were feeling exhausted, quite frankly, as you know, from the restrictions,” he said Thursday.

COVID-19 testing has been restricted in B.C. since late December when demand skyrocketed due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the positivity rate for the limited testing being done is between 4 and 4.5 per cent in Metro Vancouver and higher in some other parts of the province like Vancouver Island.

Dix points to B.C.’s vaccination rate as among the highest in the world. More than 87 per cent of British Columbians eligible for COVID vaccines have two doses.

But Horgan says he understands why some people may be feeling vulnerable or left behind, noting he just finished cancer treatment himself.

“For those who are still concerned, I get that. And I appeal to those who are not to have respect for those who are still taking the steps to be comfortable in our civil society and getting back out into public again,” Horgan explained.

“People feeling unease — I get that and I do as well, to a degree, because of my being compromised by the radiation treatments that I’ve just come through. But I do believe, I am confident, that the people have take steps to protect themselves and me.”

At the end of 2021, Horgan underwent 35 rounds of radiation treatment for throat cancer. On Feb. 11, he said there was a 90 per cent likelihood of success as a result of the treatment.

The last main pandemic protection measure in B.C. — the vaccine card — will be scrapped as of April 8. The proof of vaccination system was first brought in last September, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Until April 8, people are still required to show proof of vaccination to access certain events, services, and businesses, like restaurants and bars.

Minister Dix says officials are watching the COVID situation closely.

“The most recent report … on wastewaters indicates overall either a flat or slight increase in the amount of COVID-19 present there,” he said.

He says the number of people on ventilators is going down, but overall hospitalizations remain between 250 and 300.

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Meanwhile, the federal government is also making some changes when it comes to travel rules for fully vaccinated individuals starting April 1. Pre-arrival COVID-19 testing will no longer be required for fully vaccinated travellers who are coming to Canada.

The continued easing of measures comes as many jurisdictions across the country are experiencing an uptick in the number of infections in recent weeks. In Ontario and Quebec, experts say the provinces are entering what they believe to be the sixth wave of the pandemic.

However, Canada’s top doctor has said an increase in transmission is “not unexpected” as measures ease.

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