Victoria, BC (WNews Vancouver) – The British Columbia Government has brought in a suite of new restrictions including gyms, bars and nightclubs closed just before Christmas in an attempt to protect hospitals from a surge in Omicron COVID-19 cases.
No indoor organized gatherings of any size will be allowed including weddings, receptions, holiday parties and other events.
“Much has happened since Friday. There is still so much we don’t know,” provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said at Tuesday’s afternoon briefing.
All the restrictions will come into place on Dec. 22 at 11:59 p.m. and last until Jan. 18, 2022. The restrictions will add to the measures put in place by the province last week.
“What we do know is the variant is rapidly replacing Delta in the province starting in the Lower Mainland. We are following a trajectory we have seen in other countries and across Canada. What we do not know yet is the severity of illness.”
Dr. Bonnie Henry is implementing additional measures to address rising COVID-19 case counts that could result in increased hospitalizations and critical care admissions and the potential to overstress the healthcare system.
Bars, nightclubs, gyms, fitness centres and dance studios will be closed across the province.
Seated events will be reduced to 50 percent capacity regardless of the size of the venue including concerts, sports games, theatres and movie theatres. This does not apply to places of worship as their order has not changed.
There will be no capacity limits at restaurants but there will be a maximum of six people per table at restaurants, pubs and cafes.
“Restaurants, pubs and cafes can still operate but we will go back to what we did before. There must be room between tables. There must be a maximum of six people and people cannot move between tables,” Henry said.
The orders around personal gatherings limit indoor, personal gatherings, including in rental and vacation properties to the household/residents plus 10 individuals, or one additional household maximum if all are aged 12 and older are fully vaccinated. But the suggestion is events stay as small as possible and it remains one consistent group.
“If you have family and friends that you need to be with, then do it, do it safely,” Henry said.
She said the number 10 will give people a “reasonable approach” to gathering over the holidays.
“I know that some very large families want to have one other household that they have close, that they can support each other. And that’s why we’ve talked about two households. But the real thing is that I’m appealing to people to know what your risk is in your community, your family, and making sure that you keep things as small as possible and forego some of those multiple events with multiple different people,” Henry added.
She said it is important to also make sure you have enough space for people inside as people do not wear masks and get close to one another.
“So recognizing that if you have people in your household who are at risk of more severe illness,” Henry said, “particularly if you have children who are not yet vaccinated.
“Find ways to safely gather with elderly relatives, whether that’s wearing masks and doing it partly outside.”
The restrictions will extend to Jan. 18, 2022, at 11:59 p.m., and include:
- no organized indoor social events and gatherings of any size;
- concerts, sports games and theatres reduced to 50% seated capacity, regardless of venue size;
- closing gyms, fitness centres and dance studios;
- closing bars and nightclubs; and
- limiting table sizes at restaurants, cafes and pubs to a maximum of six people per table with physical distancing or barriers.
