BC Could Lift COVID-19 Restrictions This Week With 'Science' & Data Leading The Decision

B.C. is going to be updating its COVID-19 restrictions this week, and some may be eased.

The province also just expanded its vaccine mandate to include all regulated health professionals regulated, who have until March 24 to get vaccinated.

In a press conference last week, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said that B.C. has been reviewing the public health orders regularly, and reevaluating the current measures that are in place.

Henry said that although people may want restrictions to ease, the right steps must still be taken.

"The changes that will be made will continue to be based on the science, the circumstances of our pandemic here in British Columbia and a direct result of the millions of people in B.C. who have done and continue to do everything they can to protect themselves, their neighbours, their communities," she added.

Henry has said in the past that Omicron could lead the province to an endemic by spring, and now said that they are currently working on details to "get to that point where we can have a sustainable management strategy."

All of the specifics are going to be shared next week, she said, when many orders are set to expire.

"What you'll hear next week is the details of how we're going to be moving forward. You'll hear less about the pandemic as we get through this wave, and more about how we continue to manage our personal risks," Henry said.

She also reminded people of the reality the province is facing in this wave of the pandemic.

"It's important not to lose sight of the fact that COVID-19 continues to be a serious respiratory illness," she said.

She added that people should also expect that it will continue to change as a virus in the future.

"We are still at risk of having yet another variant arise, that we will need to manage," she said.

Henry encouraged people to get vaccinated and to continue increasing the immunity level in the province.

"We have a higher level of immunity now across B.C. because people have been immunized. And that gives us an opportunity to look at changes to how we're managing in the weeks ahead," she said.

Vaccine mandates in the province have been expanded to include all health professionals regualted by B.C.'s health care colleges — including dentists, acupuncturists, midwives, and chiropractors.

A notice was given by the province in October 2021 regarding this mandate, and now the official vaccination deadline for those workers is March 24.

In order to keep working in their occupations, health professionals will need to have their first dose by the March deadline and their second dose 28 to 35 days after.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.