As many Canadian Catholics move closer to a pre-pandemic atmosphere, B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry is keeping church attendance limits in place, even as she loosens restrictions on entertainment establishments.
Henry this week announced church attendance will remain capped at 50 per cent while bars, restaurants, and nightclubs are opening to full capacity as part of an easing of some COVID restrictions in B.C.
Meanwhile Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec announced plans to move on from COVID-19 restrictions to varying degrees.
Alberta and Saskatchewan took the lead in significantly easing or outright repealing many pandemic restrictions. For places of worship, on Feb. 9 Alberta shifted from 33-per-cent chapel capacity to no such stipulations at all — although churches are encouraged to promote social distancing.
On March 1, mask mandates and social gathering limits will disappear completely if hospitalizations keep trending downwards.
Saskatchewan parishes have been free of capacity restrictions for months now, so the only significant change comes on Feb. 28, when the mask mandate ends.
On Feb. 14, Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a fast-tracked reopening timeline for Canada’s largest province. Capacity limits for religious services, weddings, funerals and other rites or ceremonies will be reduced from an allotted 50 per cent to as many people as social-distancing rules permit. If public health metrics look positive, these limits will be completely lifted on March 1.
In Quebec, indoor liturgical services will remain open exclusively for vaccinated congregants until Feb. 21, when churches will be allowed to host passport-free indoor Masses for up to 50 attendees. Until then, the capacity for vaccinated-only services is 250.
In Manitoba, the capacity limit on indoor religious services without vaccination passports is raised to 50 per cent from 25, or 500 people, whichever is lower. The order will be in effect until March 1. The provincial government and health leadership announce their intention to remove all pandemic restrictions by March 15.
In B.C., Henry said the province is in “a transition phase” made possible by “the amount of immunity we have here and across the country.”
She added, “it is inevitable that we will see some waning of immunity and that we will see new variants arrive,” she said.
While Henry said the eased restrictions will make some people “uncomfortable” and appear to be happening too quickly, that’s not the case for places of worship, which remain under attendance limits unless everyone is vaccinated.
Under the new health orders, which take place at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, the following changes will be in effect.
- No restrictions on indoor and outdoor personal gatherings
- Full capacity allowed for:
- Indoor and outdoor organized events
- Indoor events at venues
- Exercise and fitness, adult sports activities, tournaments and swimming pools
- Full capacity and fewer restrictions in restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs:
- No limits on table size
- Normal liquor service hours
- Customers don’t have to remain seated
- Dancing is allowed when wearing a mask indoors
Henry said the remaining restrictions would be reviewed by March 15 and then again by April 12.
Wearing masks in indoor public settings is still necessary, as is showing the BC Vaccine Card at indoor public events like wedding receptions and theatres.
