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
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.