Friday, December 19, 2025
ADVT 
National

WorkSafe BC issues COVID-19 guidelines as businesses ready to reopen

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 15 May, 2020 11:16 PM
  • WorkSafe BC issues COVID-19 guidelines as businesses ready to reopen

British Columbia's workplace safety agency released new guidelines Friday as businesses across the province get set to reopen.

WorkSafe BC's guidelines cover sectors ranging from restaurants to offices, including guidance on how many people should be allowed in a business as well as controlling entry and exit points.

In every industry, the guidelines emphasize having as little contact with customers as possible and ensuring social distance is maintained.

It also advises businesses to follow the protocol on gatherings, limiting events, such as museum tours, and working to establish safe occupancy limits.

It says specific guidelines for sports and recreation as well as child care will be released later.

But before reopening, WorkSafe says businesses need to ensure they have a COVID-19 safety plan to protect workers and it must be displayed.

It says employers should work with employees to ensure businesses remain safe.

"The planning process should involve workers for their input to ensure their concerns are heard and addressed," said Al Johnson, WorkSafe BC's head of prevention services, in a statement.

The agency says it will continue developing industry-specific guidelines as more businesses across B.C. begin reopening over the coming months.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has previously said businesses are under no obligation to reopen on Tuesday, and they should only do so when they are ready.

MORE National ARTICLES

Liberals ease access to emergency COVID-19 benefit, plan to top-up wages

The federal government is making changes to its COVID-19 programs to send emergency aid to seasonal workers without jobs and those whose hours have been drastically cut but who still have some income. The changes will also allow people who are making up to $1,000 a month to qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, as well as those whose employment insurance benefits have run out since the start of the calendar year.    

Liberals ease access to emergency COVID-19 benefit, plan to top-up wages

Canada focused on fighting COVID-19 Trudeau steers clear of WHO controversy

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused Wednesday to join the escalating global debate about the World Health Organization's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, insisting Canada remains focused on working with experts around the world to combat the pandemic. Trudeau repeatedly batted back questions about Donald Trump's plan to halt funding to the UN agency and review what the U.S. president says was a failure to properly assess the threat posed by the novel coronavirus back in January.

Canada focused on fighting COVID-19 Trudeau steers clear of WHO controversy

With strong control measures, the federal public health agency projects that 11,000 to 22,000 Canadians could die of COVID-19 in the coming months

Canada could see the end of the first wave of the COVID-19 epidemic before autumn, according to federal projections, but only if strong physical distancing measures are strictly maintained the whole time. Even in that best-case scenario, the federal public health agency projects that a total of 4,400 to 44,000 Canadians could die of COVID-19 in the coming months.    

With strong control measures, the federal public health agency projects that 11,000 to 22,000 Canadians could die of COVID-19 in the coming months

Canada lost more than a million jobs in March, but April may be even worse

The Canadian economy lost an unprecedented one million jobs in March — the worst recorded single-month change — as the COVID-19 crisis began to take hold, lifting the unemployment rate to 7.8 per cent, Statistics Canada reported Thursday. The loss is eight times worse than the previous one-month record, yet economists warned it will likely be even worse in April, when the impact of physical distancing practices and other measures became clearer and millions of Canadians began receiving emergency federal aid.

Canada lost more than a million jobs in March, but April may be even worse

The latest numbers on COVID-19 in Canada

Total number of cases broken down by province and the total number right across the country. 

The latest numbers on COVID-19 in Canada

BC Finance Minister Carole James projecting a grim outlook of the job market in the wake of COVID-19

BC Finance Minister Carole James projecting a grim outlook of the job market in the wake of COVID-19
B.C. Finance Minister Carole James says the province lost 132,000 jobs last month, but it's going to get worse before it gets better due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She says the latest Statistics Canada Labour Force numbers indicate B.C.'s jobless rate rose to 7.2 per cent from five per cent in March.

BC Finance Minister Carole James projecting a grim outlook of the job market in the wake of COVID-19