Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 05:36 PM
VANCOUVER - British Columbia's provincial health officer says she's optimistic the province is moving to a "better place" that could see more COVID-19 restrictions lifted this month before spring break.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says a decline in hospitalizations, immunity from vaccination and the availability of at-home rapid tests point the way forward to normal activities like high school graduations that youth in particular need to feel connected to others.
Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health and Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer for an update on COVID-19. #CovidBChttps://t.co/NqLNlkeM4D
However, she says not everyone will be ready or able to leave behind some pandemic measures like masks so it's important for people to be respectful of those who are immunocompromised or elderly because they're still at risk of infection.
She says businesses and workplaces will have to take responsibility for requiring some measures like vaccine passports, depending on the level of risk, and it's important to move slowly through a time of transition.
Henry says there are still some uncertainties about new variants, including BA. 2, with some cases present in B.C., though no cases of BA. 3 and Delta Omicron have been detected in the province.
Henry says she will soon shift to weekly updates as B.C. ensures it's prepared for a potential uptick in COVID-19 cases during respiratory season in the fall.
Since the announced detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, a new poll suggests Canadians bracing for the worst. More than four in five respondents to an online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies said they support closing the Canadian border to travellers coming from specific countries where the variant is already present.
At the outset of the pandemic, Canada's lack of biomanufacturing capability came into sharp focus, and the incapacity to produce COVID-19 vaccines domestically caused some major initial stumbles in the country's early vaccine rollout.
The federal government has introduced a bill in the House of Commons that would repeal mandatory minimum penalties for drug offences and some gun-related crimes. It would allow a judge to exercise discretion in imposing sentences that relate to the facts of the case, including considerations of the individual's experience with systemic racism and whether they pose a risk to public safety.
Snowfall warnings have been issued for parts of central and northern B.C. Environment Canada predicts 15 to 20 centimetres of snow will fall in the northeast, including the Prince George, Williston, McGregor and Peace River areas, intensifying throughout the day and continuing Tuesday night.
Over the last few months, Surrey RCMP have received multiple calls of vandalism to public washroom facilities, particularly in the Cloverdale area. The damage has included smashed toilets, broken doors, partitions, vents, as well as stolen soap dispensers.
A man has been charged with one count of second-degree murder following an investigation into the death of a woman who went missing close to six years ago from Salmon Arm, B.C. The RCMP say Derek Favell has been charged in the death of Ashley Simpson, his girlfriend at the time she disappeared in 2016.
