There has been a rise in COVID cases in schools directly impacting young people and children. Due to this, the BC government has issued public health orders for Abbotsford, Hope, Chilliwack, Agassiz, Mission, and Harrision.
Children under 12 years old are not eligible for any COVID-19 vaccine, which is also a cause for concern when looking at the rise in numbers.
BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry addressed these areas and said “Particularly people who are not yet vaccinated, and that is now putting a strain on our hospitals, whether it’s the Chilliwack hospital that just had an outbreak, Abbotsford Hospital and the hospitals across Fraser Health. [That] means that not only are people with COVID having challenges and stressing our ICU, but people with other conditions are having surgeries postponed or not able to get the care they need. We need to take action now to increase vaccination rates, and to reduce the transmission rates in those high-risk settings in our community.” (via News1130)
The new safety rules for these areas include: 5 people maximum in private home gatherings, 10 people maximum for outdoor gatherings (unless fully vaccinated), for events such as weddings and conferences — maximum 10 inside & maximum 50 inside (unless fully vaccinated), ticketed events, indoor sports and gyms are only for those who are fully vaccinated.
Event planners and organizers will have to keep a record of attendees along with their COVID safety plans in order to show adherence to these rules.
Workplaces will have a mask mandate inside, masks can only be taken off if there is a barrier between people, and/or social distancing is possible.
Moreover, people living in these affected areas will have to show two doses of vaccine via their BC Vaccine Card in order to access certain events, services, and businesses such as movie theatres, plays, sporting events, and gyms/sports facilities. Whereas, the rest of BC residents will have until October 24th to be required to show proof of both doses.