B.C. lifts most COVID-19 restrictions as long as masks and vaccine cards are used

B.C. will lift most COVID-19 restrictions Wednesday at 11:59 p.m., B.C. health officials announced Tuesday.

Indoor personal gatherings, indoor and outdoor organized gatherings and indoor seated events will be able to return to full capacity, as long as attendees wear masks and B.C. vaccine cards are used, Premier John Horgan and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said during a live news conference.

Restaurants, bars and nightclubs may also return to full capacity, with no table size limits. Dancing is allowed once again. The order also includes the relaxation of restrictions on fitness centres and adult sports with no capacity limits as long as masks are worn and vaccine cards are used.

Current provincial health guidelines that call for masks, the B.C. vaccine card and rules around long-term care visitors will be reviewed over the next two months, Henry said. Guidelines for schools and child-care facilities, faith community restrictions and orders for child and youth overnight camps and industrial camps will also be reviewed.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall and severe illness from the virus has been mitigated by vaccines, she said.

"I want to say how proud I am of people in British Columbia for stepping up and doing what you have done to take care of each other, to follow the guidance that we have," Henry said.

"We want to move ahead slowly, and cautiously, and thoughtfully."

Henry said she expects changes to be made to COVID-19 guidelines in school settings "sooner than later." She said teams are working to make schools as normal as possible for students, parents and staff. 

"There's no such thing as zero risk in a school setting," she said.

The availability of vaccination for school-aged children changes the risks in schools, Henry said. But, only 55 per cent of children five to 11 in B.C. have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.  

"Obviously that's not an acceptable level," Henry said.

Henry says she is considering more targeted clinics for young children and encourages people to talk to their family physicians about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

The province says the decision to lift some restrictions comes as it tries to balance the ongoing transmission of the virus with the psychological and economic toll restrictions have taken on British Columbians over the past two years.

"We know that for some people what we're doing today will be really fast, and it will make them uncomfortable, Henry said.