More COVID-19 Restrictions Expected To Come In BC & An Official Said It Will Be Soon

B.C. is expected to increase COVID-19 restrictions across the province, possibly in the coming days.

After the federal government's announcement on Wednesday advising against international travel, B.C. is now discussing provincial restrictions increasing.

On Tuesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a press conference that people should rethink their holiday gathering plans and encouraged people to not gather with strangers or those with unknown vaccination statuses.

Henry said they are expecting to see more cases of the Omicron variant confirmed soon.

On Wednesday, B.C.'s Minister of Health Adrian Dix said at a press conference that COVID-19 cases in B.C. have increased over the past couple of days, and because of this, some health measures are already changing in certain jurisdictions.

"I would expect more changes to follow in the days that come. And so whether you're travelling around the world or across Canada, this is the time to exercise caution across the board," he added.

He advised that unvaccinated people do not travel at all, and for vaccinated people to limit their travel to essential trips only.

"I would expect Dr. Henry will be reviewing — and is reviewing actively — any changes to public health orders that will be required in the coming days to address the increase in case counts,” he said.

The majority of these cases are the Delta variant, but as of December 12, 44 cases of the Omicron variant were confirmed in the province.

After hinting at the possibility of increased restrictions in B.C., Dix was pressed on how likely this was to happen. One reporter asked directly if the government is considering further restricting capacity at events.

Dix said that we can expect to hear more about the restrictions surrounding capacity limits and vaccine certificates soon.

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