Don’t travel, expect new restrictions as COVID-19 case counts rise

As COVID-19 case counts rise in British Columbia and public health policies change across the country in response to Omicron, the province’s health minister has hinted at new restrictions on the horizon.

In a late Wednesday press conference, Adrian Dix, when asked about any new capacity limits being placed on large events, such as hockey games, his answer was blunt; “yes.”

“Those issues, the issue of capacity limits, the issue of the vaccine card … those issues are all under active consideration by public health,” he said, adding more details are likely to be announced soon.

His comments come as Ontario's government, where the new variant is anticipated to be the dominant strain of COVID-19 soon, announced Wednesday limits of 50 per cent will be applied to indoor venues with a capacity of 1,000 or more.

That province also announced an accelerated booster shot rollout, with those 18-plus becoming eligible as of Monday.

But British Columbia, according to Dix, is steadfast on maintaining its current schedule, citing sound science and recommendations from the National Advisory Council on Immunization (NACI).

“It’s on that the decision has been made,” he said, stressing how the province laid out a detailed plan in late-October about how it would move forward on rolling out booster shots to the population.

He said the approach is guided by risk, highlighting how the province prioritized long term care and assisted living settings, as well as clinically vulnerable people. The recommendation, as it stands, is for most people to receive a third shot between six and eight months after their second.

Dix said more pharmacies are coming online to help expedite booster jabs. Over 500 are up and running now, with 1,000 expected to be ready by January.

“We laid out how many vaccines we are going to do by the end of the year, and we are going to do 35 per cent more than that, so that’s good and we continue to have to do better,” he said.

To date, 633,000 third shots have been given out. This is about 14 per cent of everyone 12 and up who is eligible.

Other provinces are expanding access to rapid tests ahead of the holidays, but British Columbia has encountered some hiccups in expanding access. Dix said more details on widening the program will be released Tuesday.

Stay close to home

Following a late-night call with the nation’s first ministers, the prime minister urged caution among Canadians ahead of the holidays. Ottawa also, again, advised Canadians to avoid non-essential international travel as the new variant surged.

“To those who are planning to travel, I say very clearly; now is not the time for travel,” Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a Wednesday news conference alongside other federal ministers and public health officials.

His words were echoed by Dix, who of travel simply said, “if it is not necessary, don’t go.”

“My advice is that there will be other trips, but you only have one health and one life, and your health is vitally important to that life so follow the advice,” Dix said.