Some regional COVID-19 restrictions lifted in B.C., others expanded through holiday season

Vancouver -

With COVID-19 transmission and vaccination rates changing across B.C., regional health orders are also shifting through the upcoming holiday season, the province's top doctor announced Tuesday.

In her weekly COVID-19 update, Dr. Bonnie Henry addressed restrictions in the Northern Health region that limit personal gatherings to fully vaccinated people only. Those restrictions, which were extended indefinitely earlier this month, now have an end date of Jan. 31, well after the holidays.

"We've been in a transition period over the last week and a bit to try and ensure that we are having restrictions that are commensurate with the risk in those areas, as well as the strain in the health-care system," Henry said.

Another change, Henry announced, is that the restrictions will now cover the entire Northern Health region. Previously, local health areas west of Kitwanga, including Terrace, Kitimat, Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert, Stikine, Telegraph, Snow Country and the Nisga’a areas were exempt.

Those restrictions prohibit personal gatherings among unvaccinated people, keep bars and nightclubs and closed and don't allow in-person worship services.

For social gatherings, groups of no more than 10 fully vaccinated people may gather indoors. The limit goes up to 25 fully vaccinated people if the gathering is outside.

Henry encouraged people across the province to have conversations with friends and family ahead of the holiday season about whether they're vaccinated.

"It is important for people, especially at this time of the year, to continue to take these precautions to protect those who are most at risk," she said.

"If we're having family gatherings and we have people in our family who are elder, who are seniors, who have immune compromising conditions, or we're concerned about catching this virus … vaccination is our best protection for those who are most vulnerable."

Meanwhile, Henry also announced the extra regional health orders in place for Interior Health will lift Tuesday evening. Those extra measures, which were expanded to the entire health region on Aug. 20, include size limits on personal gatherings.

Henry said the changes are due to "the decrease in transmission and the levelling off of our hospitalizations and the strains in communities."

Interior Health will still be under the same health orders in place for the rest of the province, like the mask rules for indoor public spaces.

Restrictions that are in place in Fraser East will remain in place, Henry said.

"We are in a most difficult and challenging time. And people in British Columbia across our province have been tested repeatedly," Henry said. "We're not out of the woods yet with this pandemic."