BC orders bars and nightclubs to close, restricts restaurant seating

BC’s provincial health officials held a news conference Tuesday afternoon where they announced new restrictions to combat the worsening spread of the Omicron variant.

The news comes just hours after COVID-19 restrictions to limit indoor personal gatherings and large public events came into effect Monday, December 20 at midnight.

The new measures unveiled today will impact bars, nightclubs, restaurants, and gyms, and they are effective as of 11:59 pm on December 22.

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For the food and beverage sector, new public health orders require all bars and nightclubs in BC to close.

Restaurants, pubs, and cafes will still be able to operate, but those establishments will only be able to accommodate a maximum of six per table with physical distancing and barriers between tables. There will also be no mingling at food primary establishments.

These new orders are effective from December 22, 2021, to 11:59 pm to January 18, 2022. 

BC’s other COVID-19 measures, announced last Friday, remain in place. Personal gatherings are still limited to your household plus one other household or 10 guests, but all must be vaccinated.

With files from Amir Ali.