Horgan says vaccines give people more flexibility

Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix say he expects people in British Columbia who receive the COVID-19 vaccine will be able to participate in more activities as provincial health restrictions are relaxed.

But he says he's not prepared to speculate on what limits could be placed on people who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine.

Every person who receives a vaccine makes all of us safer, which is why teams are working hard to ensure every available drop gets into arms ASAP. Already, we have been able to accelerate availability for older citizens and we hope to be able to continue to push the pace forward.

— Adrian Dix (@adriandix) March 16, 2021

Last week, Horgan said he supported the concept of vaccine passports to prove international travellers have had COVID-19 vaccines, but he was lukewarm on similar certificates for people in B.C. to attend local sports and entertainment events.

Horgan told a news conference today that he expects more health restrictions to be lifted as the number of people receiving COVID-19 vaccines increases.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says she's looking at allowing indoor religious services next month after allowing outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people.

B.C. has been vaccinating those over 80 years old over the past two weeks, and the government says it is on track to complete its provincial vaccine program in July.