B.C. Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry cautioned that COVID-19 measures could be brought back if cases begin to overwhelm the health care system again
Masks will no longer be required in most settings outside of schools and health care facilities under a public-health order in British Columbia starting on March 11, while vaccination passports will be dropped on April 8 as the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic recedes.
Mask requirements in schools will not be dropped until after students return from spring break, but overnight child and youth camps are now permitted, capacity limits for faith gatherings are lifted, and restrictions on visits in long-term care have been removed. Some people, such as the elderly and those who are immune-compromised, will need to continue to take precautions, she added. She said the risk has dropped considerably, but she would still wear a mask on public transit, for example, even though it is no longer required. “That risk is down quite a lot,” she said. But for those who have been diligently avoiding risk for the past two years, “it’s going to take some time to build that confidence again to go to those places.
Health care workers at the province’s health authorities, and those in long-term care facilities, are already required to be fully vaccinated. In early February, Dr. Henry announced that requirement would be expanded to other health professionals such as massage therapists, pharmacists, dentists, naturopaths and traditional medicine practitioners. On Thursday, Dr. Henry said she has been persuaded to change that expansion plan.
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