The B.C. government has quietly ordered the closure of gyms, fitness centres, bars and other facilities until further notice, ahead of its weekly COVID-19 update on Tuesday.
The restriction, aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant, had been set to expire at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. But on Monday afternoon, the province removed that end time from the official public health order.
It’s unclear whether these restrictions will be removed, kept in place or other restrictions will come into effect when provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix hold their weekly briefing on Tuesday.
That will be live-streamed above, on BC1 and on the Global BC Facebook page.
NEW – The province has updated the gatherings order to remove the end time of January 18, 12:01 a.m. The order is now in place indefinitely keeping gyms and bars closed. And venues at 50%. Update coming from PHO tomorrow. #bcpoli https://t.co/ChgKNFw9aw
— Richard Zussman (@richardzussman) January 17, 2022
Read more:
‘Incredibly frustrating’: B.C. gym owners wait to see whether COVID rules will lift or stay
Here is a summary of the latest public health order:
- No organized indoor social events and gatherings of any size (e.g. weddings and parties);
- Concerts, sports games and theatres reduced to 50 per cent seated capacity, regardless of venue size;
- Closing gyms, fitness centres and dance studios;
- Closing bars and nightclubs; and
- Limiting table sizes at restaurants, cafes and pubs to a maximum of six people per table with physical distancing or barriers.
This story will be updated following the news conference on Tuesday afternoon.