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Interior Health restrictions relaxed, first Omicron case in B.C.

Back to full capacity, so long as fully vaxed

Citing falling transmission and a levelling off of hospitalizations, the additional restrictions imposed on Interior Health will be lifted as of midnight Tuesday.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced the relaxed rules during a media conference Tuesday afternoon. This will bring the area in line with the rest of the province, excluding the Northern Health region.

Most significantly, the change allows venues to return to 100 per cent capacity if everyone is fully vaccinated.

The move comes after weeks of calls from business leaders and politicians to level the playing field.

The Kelowna Rockets were quick to welcome the new rules, issuing a press release moments after the announcement.

“We have waited a long time for this news," Rockets president and general manager Bruce Hamilton said. "The Kelowna Rockets and Prospera Place have had vaccine passports and masking protocols in place since the season began. We can't wait to welcome all of the loyal Rockets fan base who meet the British Columbia vaccination passport criteria back into the building.”

The news comes as Henry amended the existing provincial health orders to extend the mask mandate to places of worship ahead of the holiday season.

Masks will now be required for everyone attending service, including choirs. Masks can be removed for eating and drinking, allowing ceremony activities. Capacity is also being restricted to 50 per cent unless everyone is fully vaccinated.

“We are not out of the woods yet with this pandemic,” she said.

First Omicron case detected

Health officials also reported the first case of the newly discovered Omicron variant. The virus was detected in someone who recently arrived from Nigeria in the Fraser Health region. They are isolating and public health is following up with them and any close contacts.

So far, the Public Health Agency of Canada has flagged 204 people in B.C. who were recently in areas of concern. The quarantine service has contacted them over the past few days and all are in self isolation and being tested.

“We must anticipate and plan for the worst even as we hope that this strain will not cause the havoc we have seen with some others,” Henry said.

She urged people to maintain “tried-and-true” public health measures; masking, getting vaccinated, physical distancing, limiting gathering sizes and good ventilation.

Henry said the province has bolstered its genome testing program to help identify the variant. She is confident Omicron is not currently spreading in the community.

She maintained there are many unknowns with the new strain of the virus, such as how transmissible it is, reinfection rates and how the vaccines will respond.

“As we have seen with every single variant that has arisen; we cannot stop this virus from transmitting but what we can try and do is slow it down,” she said.

Published 2021-11-30 by Tyler Marr

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