Restrictions on worship, travel, and indoor dining continue

Story updated April 21 to clarify restrictions regarding indoor worship.

B.C. Premier John Horgan Monday announced previous health orders that include a ban on indoor public worship will be extended for an additional five weeks.

The restrictions are now scheduled to expire after the Victoria Day long weekend (which ends May 24). These health orders prohibit indoor dining, indoor group fitness, indoor public worship by faith communities, and gathering with people outside one’s household, among other activities.

On March 29, B.C. officials rescinded the health order variance they had offered to religious groups days earlier and banned indoor services, days before Holy Week and the start of four days of permitted indoor worship with up to 10 per cent of capacity or a maximum of 50 people. Outdoor worship is permitted under certain restrictions.

Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller said, “Given the high number of cases in B.C., I am not surprised that the current restrictions are remaining in place. I continue to hope that the situation will soon improve, so that we can once again resume in person worship, which is so necessary to us as a sacramental Church.”

At the April 19 press conference, Horgan warned of additional steps against travel into B.C. from other provinces and between health regions within the province. Those measures include cancelling or refusing to book reservations for people travelling outside their region, blocking camper vans and trailers from using BC Ferries, and road blocks similar to drunk driving checks to catch travelers outside of their health regions.

“We require serious measures if we are to get to the May long weekend and salvage our summer,” said Horgan.

He did not clarify if drivers would have to prove where they are travelling or what fines would be. Those details are expected on Friday.

Dr. Bonnie Henry said the expectation is 60 per cent of B.C.’s population will have been vaccinated by the end of the May long weekend.

She added that, sadly, a 2-year-old child with pre-existing conditions has died from complications due to COVID-19, becoming the youngest person to have died of the virus in this province.