Dr. Bonnie Henry (Photo credit: Province of B.C./Flickr)

By Pete McIntyre

events and gatherings

B.C. eases COVID-19 restrictions

Feb 15, 2022 | 1:35 PM

British Columbians will be facing fewer COVID-19 restrictions as of this Thursday.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has announced the easing of several of her health orders that will take effect at 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16.

Here are the highlights of the changes:

• Indoor personal gatherings – return to normal
• Indoor and outdoor organized gatherings – full capacity, dancing allowed (with masks & BC Vaccine Card)
• Indoor seated events – full capacity (with masks & BC Vaccine Card)
• Fitness centres, adult sports, dance, swimming – full capacity, no tournament restrictions (with masks & BC Vaccine Card)
• Restaurants, bars and nightclubs – full capacity, no table limits, mingling and dancing allowed (with masks & BC Vaccine Card)

Measures that will remain in place are:

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• Masks in indoor public spaces
• BC Vaccine Card
• COVID-19 Safety Plans

The measures still in place will be reviewed again on March 15.

(Image credit: Province of B.C.)

Dr. Henry said B.C. is able to relax the restrictions due to high number of vaccinated residents, the stabilizing of COVID-related hospitalizations and a reduction in transmission of the virus.

“We are able to make the changes now as a result of the efforts that people throughout British Columbia have made to get vaccinated, to follow all the public health measures and to take steps to protect ourselves and those around us,” Henry told a news conference on Tuesday.

As of Monday, 90.4 per cent of eligible people five and older in B.C. had received their first vaccine dose, 85.3 per cent had two doses, and 52.7 per cent of residents 12 and older had received three shots.

(Image credit: Province of B.C.)

Henry said B.C. is shifting its response to a “long-term COVID-19 management strategy” that focuses on areas that keep people safe and self-management of the risks.

Henry said B.C. and the world are not out of the pandemic yet, and there will be pressure on the virus to mutate into a new variant.

“And we need to be ready to respond to the ongoing waves and troughs as we get through this next few months with this very high level of community immunity and as we move into the next respiratory season in the fall,” Henry stated.

(Image credit: Province of B.C.)

Health Minister Adrian Dix expressed gratitude to all British Columbians for doing “the right thing”over the last two years: “following public health orders and guidance and, most importantly, getting vaccinated.”

Dix said B.C. had received over 15 million rapid COVID tests as of last Friday, with 7.2 million deployed to key strategic areas, leaving an inventory of over 8 million, with another 9 million more on the way. He says more members of the general population will be able to access the tests, with more details on that over the next week.

Dix said 320 non-urgent, scheduled surgeries were postponed from Feb. 6-12, with 231 in Interior Health, 70 in Fraser Health, 10 in Island Health, 3 in Northern Health, and 6 in the provincial health services authorities (none in Vancouver Coastal). He said all of those postponed procedures will be completed, and says patients are starting to get the calls to re-book.