Over four years after BC declared COVID-19 to be a public health emergency (March 18, 2020 to be exact), the orders have been rescinded, as the province has officially announced its end.
Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry and BC Health Minister Adrian Dix made the announcement on Friday morning.
“While COVID-19 is not gone, we now have high levels of protection in the healthcare system and in communities throughout,” said Henry.
Along with the public health emergency ending, BC is ending the vaccine mandate in healthcare settings.
Over the last four years, people have been forced to change their regular routines in so many ways, so we thought we’d reminisce a little bit about what people went through during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While it might have only been four years, it feels more like this:
Binging TV shows
HBO
Many people relied on streaming services like Netflix during COVID-19. And content creators pumped those services full of binge-worthy content, like Tiger King or The Last Dance.
Shows like The White Lotus premiered just over a year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and helped us out when we were stuck in lockdown.
Working from home
Creative Lab/Shutterstock
For many, working from home was a brand-new (and strange) concept. Now, it has become a routine part of our lives.
It has also become one of the silver linings of COVID-19, allowing many employees to create a better work-life balance for themselves.
Illegal parties
Shutterstock
Because large gatherings were no longer allowed, some folks decided to take their parties underground. Others got caught for having parties that went against public health orders, like the highly publicized downtown Vancouver penthouse party host.
Hoarding toilet paper
The toilet paper aisle at a Vancouver supermarket is wiped clean amidst growing concerns of COVID-19. (Kenneth Chan / Daily Hive)
Remember when there was a toilet paper shortage?
Panic-buying led to shortages of all kinds of products, but arguably, none of them got as much coverage in the news as the toilet paper shortages.
We also saw firsthand what some people’s priorities were:
I was sent to a Costco to see if people are stocking up (even though health officials say it’s not necessary) in case COVID-19 gets more serious here. This guy came out of the store with 16 boxes of condoms and a big jar of coconut oil. We all have priorities. pic.twitter.com/C3edUsgZzH
— Jill Bennett (@jillreports) February 29, 2020
Mask mandates
Paopano/Shutterstock
People around the world were forced to adapt to the pandemic through numerous restrictions. Among those were mask mandates, forcing people to wear medical face masks in public settings.
Remember social distancing, waiting in line, and staying six feet apart from those in front and behind you?
There was also a time when BC residents couldn’t eat at restaurants or enter certain public settings unless we had our vaccine QR codes.
A local restaurant with a sign requiring the BC Vaccine Card and proof of vaccination (Margarita Young/Shutterstock).
Even though the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is now over, reporting is still required.
“Moving forward, all healthcare workers in public healthcare facilities must report their immunization for COVID-19 and influenza and their immune status for other critical vaccine-preventable diseases,” the Ministry of Health said.
Bread went viral
Kritchai7752/Shutterstock
Remember when everyone started making bread at home during COVID-19?
People found many ways to entertain themselves, and a trend emerged where people became obsessed with making homemade bread.
Dalgona Coffee was another trend that emerged during COVID-19.
The 7 pm cheer
Keaton Lawlor/YouTube
While this one isn’t necessarily a weird thing we did during COVID-19, it was one of the few bright moments during the worst points of the pandemic.
Folks would flock to their balconies or their front lawns and bang their pots and pans for the healthcare workers who were putting their lives on the line in the face of the pandemic on a daily basis.
“Be kind, be calm, be safe.”
Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry (BC Gov/Flickr).
Dr. Henry became a household name very quickly, as viewers around the province relied on the BC Provincial Health Officer for the latest updates on COVID-19, whether it was good news or bad, and often, it was bad.
She endured a lot of criticism during her time briefing British Columbians on the latest numbers of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
“The past four years have been extraordinary, and I know they have had a tremendous impact on all of us, our families, and communities. I remain immensely grateful to the people of BC who have risen to the occasion and did their best to support each other throughout these most challenging times with kindness and compassion,” Henry said today.
Reaction to the news hasn’t necessarily been overwhelmingly positive, and the conversation has become political.
Bonnie Henry has lifted mandates for healthcare workers because Eby’s radical NDP is worried about the coming election.
Meanwhile, patients here in Prince Rupert have died in hallways waiting for a doctor.
It shouldn’t take an election to hire back healthcare workers. #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/woRo0vyTBO
— John Rustad (@JohnRustad4BC) July 26, 2024
Now that the official end of the health emergency has been announced in BC, what was the weirdest part of COVID-19 for you? Let us know in the comments.