B.C. premier questions COVID-19 travel rules

VICTORIA - British Columbia's premier says the federal government's COVID-19 testing rules on travelling to and from the United States make little sense to him.

John Horgan says he finds Ottawa's testing requirement counter to the whole point of staying safe, saying he could get a test in Vancouver, travel to the United States and come back within 72 hours using the same test.

He also expressed concern about people taking advantage of the system, wondering whether people might fake symptoms to get a free test in order to use the results to travel.

Horgan says his concerns about the testing were partly behind his decision not to accept an invitation to visit from Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee.

Join Premier John Horgan as he takes questions from the media. https://t.co/5sHsaXXoeG

— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) October 21, 2021

The provincial government announced Thursday that it was extending several COVID-19-related orders meant to limit the spread of infection as the fourth wave sweeps over the province.

The COVID-19 Related Measures Act was to be repealed on Dec. 31, but the government says in a statement that changes will be introduced to the bill in the legislature.

The act allows key legal documents to be witnessed remotely and lets the courts say which proceedings can be conducted remotely.

It also supports orders of the provincial health officer to impose conditions on the number of long-term care facilities where staff are allowed to work in an effort to stop the transmission of COVID-19.

The law gives civil liability protection to people or companies providing essential services by operating a business that benefits the community, so long as they follow public health orders.

The government says it's issuing the notice of the changes to allow for those organizations or businesses that use the legislation to plan beyond the original deadline.