VANCOUVER - British Columbia's top doctor has issued an order requiring children five and older to wear masks in public spaces, expanding a mandate for those aged 12 and up.
Masks are now mandatory in all indoor public spaces for people age 5+ to reduce COVID-19 transmission and to prepare for respiratory illness season. The BC-wide indoor mask mandate applies to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. https://t.co/f1zpTluN80 pic.twitter.com/3K0uLm6cOb
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) October 12, 2021
Dr. Bonnie Henry says the province is also preparing to vaccinate about 340,000 kids up to age 11 pending Health Canada approval as early as next month, with priority given to those in the northern region, where COVID-19 transmission rates are highest due to lower vaccine uptake.
Join Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, and Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, for an update on COVID-19. #CovidBC https://t.co/IBFWps4Wn6
— BC Government News (@BCGovNews) October 12, 2021
Henry says the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the north is causing serious illness, including among younger residents, as hospitals are "pushed to the limit."
She says public health officials are working with the Northern Health authority to determine if more regional measures are needed to prevent transmission.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says 55 critically ill people have been transferred from the region to intensive care units elsewhere in the province and that 43 of them were infected with COVID-19, with all but one of them not being fully vaccinated.
He says 14 patients were flown hundreds of kilometres away over the long weekend so anyone who isn't vaccinated shouldn't wait to get protected to prevent a similar fate.
