BC expected to announce changes to COVID-19 health orders today

BC health officials have a potentially major COVID-19 press conference planned for this afternoon, and there are a couple of big changes to the province’s COVID-19 strategy that could be announced.

The first and most obvious one that Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has been hinting at is the dropping of the mask mandate.

Henry suggested that health officials could make adjustments to the mask mandate prior to spring break starting on March 14.

The other major COVID-19 health order that is still in place is the BC Vaccine Card, and we could also be seeing changes coming to the way the province implements its proof of vaccination.

During press conferences over recent weeks, Dr. Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have suggested that while mandates could be dropped, that wouldn’t necessarily mean that things like masks and vaccine cards would just disappear.

This could mean that — like it had been done previously — the mandate could be downgraded to a recommendation.

Henry and Dix also haven’t ruled out the ability for business owners to continue implementing the mask mandate or proof of vaccination requirement, and suggested this could also be a possibility in recent weeks.

The primary theme at the latest briefings from BC health officials has been the idea that the onus of pandemic management would shift away from health officials, and be passed on to citizens to do what they feel is right for them.

In other words, if you want to wear a mask, that would be your choice, unless a business, event or gathering requires it for entry.

Ontario dropped their indoor vaccination requirement on March 1. Alberta has also dropped most of its COVID-19 restrictions.

You can watch the update live here at 12:30 pm.