BC to Relax COVID-19 Restrictions on Social Gathering and Capacity Limits

Masks and vaccine passports will still remain in place

B.C. provincial health officer Bonnie Henry speaks during a COVID-19 update news conference in Vancouver on Feb. 1, 2022. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

The British Columbia government will relax most COVID-19 restrictions on social gathering and capacity limits on Feb. 16 at 11:59 p.m., the province’s health officials said.

Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry announced the decision in a press conference on Feb. 15, saying that the province is now shifting to a “long-term COVID-19 management strategy.”

All restrictions on indoor personal gatherings, indoor and outdoor organized gatherings, and indoor seated events will be allowed to return to full capacity, though event participants will still have to wear masks and use the B.C. vaccine cards.

Restaurants, bars, and nightclubs will also return to full capacity, with no limits on the number of people at tables. Dancing will also be allowed if wearing a mask indoors.

The order also allows fitness centres, adult sports, tournaments, and swimming pools to return to full capacity, according to the B.C. government website.

Bonnie said the remaining public health measures, including masking and proof of vaccination, will be reviewed on March 15 to determine if any or all of them are still necessary. Another review will be done on April 12, ahead of the Easter weekend.

“I want to say how proud I am of people in British Columbia for stepping up and doing what you have done to take care of each other, to follow the guidance that we have. We are at an exciting and positive milestone,” Henry said.

“Let’s just take this time to recognize our progress and all that we have done through this pandemic to turn the tide of COVID-19. Our long-term, sustainable strategy is about recovery, readiness, and respect.”

Several provinces had announced their timelines to retire the proof of vaccination system and other COVID-19 restrictions.

On Feb. 14, Ontario said it will end its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program on March 1, followed by Quebec, which will gradually lift the vaccine passport by March 14.

Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba also recently announced that they are lifting their proof of COVID-19 vaccination programs.

When asked why a timeline for the removal of the B.C. Vaccine Card wasn’t provided, Henry said it was due to the need in different settings with varied risk levels.

“We’ve always had a bit of a different approach in use of the B.C. vaccine card, and it’s for very specific settings—that are the higher-risk settings, that are indoor settings where people often have to take their masks off for a period of time, or when you’re in settings that are indoors, with people that you don’t know and you don’t know their vaccine status,” Henry said.

“Because we have the mitigation of the B.C. vaccine card so we’re different from Ontario, from Quebec in that regard.”