COVID-19 public health emergency in B.C. declared over

British Columbia·Breaking

British Columbia’s top doctor says she is ending the public health emergency that was declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. 

All remaining restrictions, including vaccination requirement for health-care workers, are being rescinded

A waiter on an outdoor restaurant patio serves red wine to an older couple dining out on a sunny afternoon in Vancouver. See waiter and couple wearing PPE masks. Taken on January 22, 2021
A typical COVID-19-era restaurant scene with waiter and customers wearing facemasks on a sunny afternoon in Vancouver in January 2021. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

British Columbia’s top doctor says she is ending the public health emergency that was declared in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. 

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says any remaining restrictions, including the vaccination requirement for health-care workers, are being rescinded.

Henry says after reviewing all the data she is confident the province has reached the point where there is no longer a need for the public health emergency and all requirements that remain can be lifted. 

She says wastewater indicators and testing data show COVID-19 has levelled off and the number of people in intensive care and in hospitals is lower and stable.

Henry says the level of protection provided by vaccines and hybrid immunity is also helping to protect the population. 

Health Minister Adrian Dix says health workers fired due to previous orders can apply to fill available positions, although they must provide their immune status for certain pathogens, including COVID-19. 

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Posted in CBC