Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

Stage Two of BC’s Restart Plan begins tomorrow as Premier John Horgan states, ‘We are ready to take another step forward in our careful restart’

 


Beginning on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, British Columbia will take the next step in safely bringing people back together, transitioning into Step 2 of BC’s Restart plan, including lifting restrictions on travel within B.C. 

 

“Thanks to our collective efforts and commitment to get vaccinated, we are ready to take another step forward in our careful restart,” said Premier John Horgan. “This next step means seeing more of the people we love, visiting more of our favourite places and safely celebrating the major milestones we’ve missed. Better days are in sight, but we must continue to do our part, get vaccinated, keep our layers of protection strong and work together to put this pandemic behind us.” 

 

The transition into Step 2 of the four-step restart plan aligns with key metrics for moving forward. More than 75% of adults are vaccinated with their first dose, exceeding the target Step 2 minimum threshold of 65%. The other metrics for moving through the stages – COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations – continue to steadily decline.  

 

“I am confident that we are on track to safely and confidently bridge to Step 2, and am amending the relevant provincial health officer’s orders so we can do just that,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer. “The data shows us that with strong safety plans in place and all of us continuing to use our layers of protection, we can now increase our much-needed social connections a little bit more. Whether it is travelling to visit family in B.C., having a small wedding or watching your child’s soccer game, these are the things we have all missed.”

 

Public health safety protocols, such as mask wearing in all indoor public spaces and physical distancing, will remain in place during Step 2. As well, personal indoor gatherings will be limited to five visitors, or one other household.  

 

Moving from Step 1 to Step 2 includes:  

  • B.C. recreational travel – non-essential travel ban lifted. Out-of-province non-essential travel advisory continues;  
  • maximum of 50 people for outdoor personal gatherings; 
  • maximum of 50 people for indoor seated organized gatherings (e.g., movie theatres, live theatre, banquet halls) with safety plans;
  • indoor faith gatherings – a maximum of 50 people, or 10% of a place of worship’s total capacity, whichever number is greater – with safety plans;
  • maximum of 50 spectators for outdoor sports;
  • liquor service at restaurants, bars and pubs extended until midnight; and
  • indoor sports games (no spectators) and high-intensity fitness with safety plans. 

 

All other capacity limits and guidelines listed in Step 1 stay in place unless noted in the list above.

 

The earliest target start date for Step 3 is July 1, and Sept. 7 for Step 4. 

 


British Columbians travelling within B.C. are asked to plan ahead and be respectful while visiting communities, especially smaller and rural towns, as well as Indigenous communities – including respecting local travel advisories. Travel manners and guidelines to follow during summer trips and vacations include:

  • getting vaccinated;
  • pre-trip planning and research before arriving at destination;
  • respecting any local travel advisories to isolated and remote communities and Indigenous communities;
  • following masks guideline;
  • respecting personal space and practising good hygiene, including frequent handwashing; and
  • no travelling for anyone who is sick. If symptoms develop while travelling, self-isolate immediately and contact 811 for guidance and testing.

 

Since the launch of the restart plan on May 25, government has been working with sector associations and WorkSafeBC to help prepare for the transition into Step 3 when public health orders will be lifted and new guidelines will come into effect. Businesses can expect to see updated guidance available through WorkSafeBC's website prior to July 1. Businesses will then adapt their safety plans to reflect this updated guidance.

 

More than 200 meetings and discussions have taken place since the launch of BC’s Restart plan as part of government’s ongoing engagement. The majority have been with industry organizations that together represent thousands of employers and tens of thousands of employees.

 

The four-step restart plan was designed based on data and guidance from the BC Centre for Disease Control and Henry. Progressing to each step of the plan will be measured by the number of people vaccinated, COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations and deaths and other key public health metrics. 

 

The Province has formally extended the provincial state of emergency through the end of the day on June 22, 2021, allowing health and emergency management officials to continue to use extraordinary powers under the Emergency Program Act to support the Province's COVID-19 pandemic response. The original declaration was made on March 18, 2020, the day after Henry declared a public health emergency, and can be extended for periods of up to 14 days at a time.

 

 

Learn More: 

To view the updated B.C. restart plan four-step graphic, visit: http://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Step_2_graphic_changes.pdf

 

Since Step 1, additional guidelines have been released for overnight camps and faith-based gatherings and are available here:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/covid-19-novel-coronavirus

 

To view the June 10, 2021, modelling presentation on BC’s Restart, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/6-10_PHO_presentation.pdf

 

To learn more about BC’s Restart – a four-step plan to bring B.C. back together, visit: https://www.gov.bc.ca/restartbc 

 

To learn about B.C.’s current travel restrictions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/covidtravel 

 

To learn about the current provincial health officer’s restrictions, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/COVIDrestrictions 

 

To get registered to get a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/getvaccinated.html 

 

For technical immunization information, visit the BC Centre for Disease Control’s website:
www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine 

 

For more information on what to expect when getting vaccinated for COVID-19, visit:
www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/covid-19-vaccine/getting-a-vaccine 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more