COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
[14] On March 21, she ordered all personal service establishments, such as day spas, hair and beauty salons, and tattoo parlours, to close for the foreseeable future.
[60] On April 24, Attorney General David Eby appointed Allan Seckel to chair a Cross-Jurisdictional Technical Advisory Group to assist the provincial court system amidst public health restrictions.
[61][62][63] On May 13, it was disclosed that while in the quarantine system imposed by the government of British Columbia on international arrivals, eight farm workers out of 1,500 had tested positive for COVID-19 disease.
[66][67] Entry to stage 4 was conditional on "widespread vaccination, community immunity, or successful treatments";[68] the national and global numbers of active cases also needed to decline in order for the province to recommend its implementation.
[74] On October 30, MLA Adrian Dix announced an amended Provincial Health Officer order, which limits gatherings in private residences to six guests.
[77] On October 27, the President of UFCW 1518, Kim Novak, wrote to Henry requesting that she mandate that customers wear masks while shopping at grocery stores.
[83] On November 12, Henry shared modelling data that suggests BC could expect the number of daily new cases to surpass 1,000 unless residents alter their behaviours.
[84] On November 13, the BC Centre for Disease Control released the October subregional map showing Surrey now has the most COVID-19 cases in British Columbia.
[85] Fraser Health also declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Platinum Athletic Club at King George Boulevard, after 42 customers tested positive between October 21 and November 7.
[86] In the city vicinity, several Loblaws grocery stores and pharmacies in the Lower Mainland, including Real Canadian Superstore, Wholesale Club, Shoppers Drug Mart, and T&T Supermarket reported positive tests for COVID-19.
[98] On November 18, Horgan filed "Second Components" to BC's regional COVID-19 orders, hinted at more restrictions, and asked the federal government to discourage travel between the provinces amid the increase of COVID-19 cases.
Event, church service and gathering restrictions would be in place until December 7 at the earliest, prohibiting all social interaction outside of immediate household or core-bubbles.
[116][117] On November 25, CTV News Vancouver reported that the COVID-19 infections in Fraser Health was among the highest per capita in Canada, double the national average.
[125] Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth also threatened to increase the fines for repeatedly breaking the pandemic-related rules after two churches defied health orders on December 6.
[157] On January 9, Fraser Health reported two more Surrey long-term care homes facing COVID-19 outbreaks, with one resident and three staff members testing positive for the virus.
[160] On January 14, Horgan sought legal advice to determine if an inter-provincial travel ban in response to increasing COVID-19 cases in the other provinces would be constitutional.
[163] On January 18, Fraser Health reported another COVID-19 outbreak at Eagle Ridge Manor in Port Moody after one staff member and one resident tested positive for the virus.
[170] On January 21, Interior Health reported a new COVID-19 community cluster in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region as a result of "social events and gatherings in Williams Lake".
[175] On January 28, BC Centre for Disease Control director Monika Naus informed Henry of two reported cases of thrombocytopenia temporally associated with receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine in the province.
[182] In the Northern Health region, a gold mine north of Stewart declared a COVID-19 exposure infecting over 22 employees and contractors,[183] before revising the total to 42 cases on February 18.
Health officials decided to allow adults in Prince Rupert and Port Edward to be eligible for the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines by mid-March, as infections rates did not improve with the rest of the province.
[211] Due to the threat of variants of concern, Minister of Public Safety Mike Farnworth issued an order on April 23 to prohibit non-essential interprovincial travel between the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and Northern/Interior regions.
[238] On August 12, Dix and Henry announced all employees of assisted living and long-term care facilities in the province must be fully vaccinated by October 12.
[242] There were no exceptions allowed for recent negative tests, or for medical or religious reasons that prevent vaccination; faith-based gatherings and K-12 school activities were not covered by the order.
[243][244][245][246] The next day, Henry announced that the mask mandate for public indoor spaces would also be reinstated effective August 25, due to the Delta variant and the number of unvaccinated residents in the province.
[247] She also discussed plans for the next school year, allowing full-day, in-person learning as normal, but with masks mandatory for staff and students in grades 4 and up.
[268][269] On December 20, further restrictions were announced, effective December 22 through January 18: bars, nightclubs, and fitness facilities must close; all seated venues are capped at 50% capacity regardless of venue size; restaurants may continue to operate with social distancing and a maximum of six patrons per table; organized indoor gatherings are prohibited; and private gatherings are restricted to ten vaccinated individuals from a maximum of two households.
[286] On May 4, a request made by lawyers for Henry to dismiss a court challenge against the province's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers was rejected by a judge.
[293] On April 6, Henry issued an updated order indefinitely extending the province's mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for healthcare workers and trainees.
[326][327][328] Closures caused cash-flow problems for attractions including Science World, the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre, and the Vancouver Aquarium, all of which rely on revenues from admissions.
