Wedding, funeral industries call for reintroduction of COVID-19 safety measures
After B.C. gyms were given the go-ahead to reopen with COVID-19 safety plans last week, the wedding and funeral industries are calling for the same treatment.
Indoor, organized gatherings in B.C. have been banned since Dec. 23, when the province introduced new restrictions to curb the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. Those restrictions were extended on Jan. 18.
Liting Chan runs Paradise Events, a Burnaby-based studio that specializes in weddings. She said her business has already lost $50,000 in revenue for January and fears what the rest of the year will look like given the amount of planning that’s needed for a wedding.
“When you shut down completely, it’s not just one month, it’s an entire year, and this is our third year, so we cannot handle another year,” Chan said.
Chan is part of a growing social media movement calling for the reopening of the events industry in a safe way. The hashtags #ReopenBCWeddings and #SaveBCEvents are being used on Instagram to promote the stories of industry members. They’re asking for a return of the COVID-safety plans that allowed events to go ahead last year at venues with mask-wearing, spacing and no dancing.
“When there are rules put into place for other business like restaurants, sports events, even casinos, I don't see a difference from that,” Chan said.
Those who organize funerals and celebration of life events want the same kind of treatment. Under the Public Health guidelines, those events can be held at a church or funeral home, where they can be classified as a “worship gathering.”
Emily Bootle, a death-care provider with Koru Cremation Burial Ceremony in Vancouver, said those two venues don’t make sense for many people.
“The family is choosing a venue very intentionally that’s connected to their loved one,” Bootle said. “They want to go to restaurants, they want to go to community centres, they want to go to facilities and venues that are in the community.”
Bootle said she’s had to explain the rules to many people who are grieving, saying it’s been a “really excruciating process” to walk through with them. Most are choosing to delay ceremonies altogether, she said.
“Our bereaved are very silently and secretly wounded people,” Bootle said.
Both Bootle and Chan said those in their industries already know how to hold safe events, given they were doing it at certain points through 2021. They’re calling for public health officials to allow the same plans to be implemented now.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Pastrnak scores winner, Bruins down Leafs 2-1 in overtime in Game 7
Sheldon Keefe told his players hockey history would remember them one way or another.
Madonna's biggest-ever concert transforms Rio's Copacabana beach into a massive dance floor
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
What a judge's gag order on Trump means in his hush money case
A gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter. The New York judge already has found that Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, repeatedly violated the order, fined him US$9,000 and warning that jail could follow if he doesn't comply.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Trudeau 'absolutely' best person to lead the Liberals in next election: LeBlanc says
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc insists he's not planning a leadership campaign to head the Liberal party, should current leader and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resign, seemingly quashing rumours he's planning to make a move for his boss' job.
Bombarded with spam texts? Stats show the problem is getting worse in Canada
In particular, messages that involve phishing — an attack where a scammer tries to trick the recipient into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware or sharing sensitive information — are on the rise.
The American paradox of protest: Celebrated and condemned, welcomed and muzzled
Americans cherish the right to assemble, to speak out, to petition for the redress of grievances. It's enshrined in the first of the constitutional amendments. They laud social actions of the past and recognize the advances toward equality that previous generations made, often at risk of life and limb. But those same activities can produce anger and outright opposition when life's routines are interrupted, and wariness that those speaking out are outsiders looking to sow chaos and influence impressionable minds.
King Charles III’s openness about cancer has helped him connect with people in year after coronation
King Charles III's decision to be open about his cancer diagnosis has helped the new monarch connect with the people of Britain and strengthened the monarchy in the year since his dazzling coronation at Westminster Abbey.