Warmer weather is coming to much of British Columbia this week.
Environment Canada has lifted arctic outflow and extreme cold warnings for much of the province after several days of record-breaking temperatures and bone-chilling wind chills.
But Environment Canada says the forecast calls for snowflurries in the Metro Vancouver area by Tuesday, followed by rain later this week.
Temperatures are still forecast to remain well below zero Celsius in the province's northeast and Kootenay regions.
A pediatrician who has researched COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among parents in Canada, the United States and Israel is urging people concerned about getting their children vaccinated to talk to a health-care provider as the Omicron variant pushes cases to all-time highs.
British Columbia's seniors advocate is asking the province to designate one person as an essential visitor for every long-term care resident as the facilities move to stem the spread of COVID-19. Isobel Mackenzie says in a news release that the need to limit visitors has left a majority of long-term care residents without visits from loved ones.
There are 31,817 active cases of COVID-19 in the province, and 238,524 people who tested positive have recovered. Of the active cases, 324 individuals are in hospital and 90 are in intensive care. The remaining people are recovering at home in self-isolation.
With the harsh winter conditions in the Lower mainland, Alex Fraser Bridge has been shut down in both directions. A tweet from Drive BC says to use an alternate route
Provincial health officer for British Columbia Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a news conference Tuesday that schools are "not a major source of transmission." But other experts say schools need to take extra care against the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
B.C.'s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry warned earlier this week that businesses, schools and health facilities could lose up to a third of their staff due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.