Clarification on COVID restrictions announced yesterday

PHO order on province-wide restrictions

By order and direction of the Provincial Health Officer (PHO), all events and social gatherings are suspended to significantly reduce COVID-19 transmission related to social interactions and travel.

The order is in effect from November 19, 2020 at midnight to December 7, 2020 at midnight.

Events and social gatherings

All in-person events and community-based gatherings as defined in the PHO order – Gatherings and Events (PDF) are suspended, with the exception of weddings, funerals, baptisms, support group meetings and business meetings. For example:

Galas
Musical or theatre performances
Seasonal activities, including indoor and outdoor holiday events
Silent auctions
Movie viewings in cinemas
Outdoor skating events

Social gatherings

No social gatherings of any size at your residence with anyone other than your household or core bubble. For example:

Do not invite friends or extended family to your household
Do not host gathering outdoors
Do not gather in your backyard
Do not have playdates for children

Core bubble

For most people, their core bubble is their immediate household. An immediate household is a group of people who live in the same dwelling. For example:

If you have a rental suite in your home, the suite is a separate household
If you live in an apartment or house with roommates, you are all members of the same household

For others, including people who live alone, their core bubble may also contain a partner, relative, friend or co-parent who lives in a different household. This should be a maximum of two people outside of those living in your immediate household.

Co-parenting and supporting isolated family members

For those who parent from separate households or rely on a family member or close friends for support with things like picking up children after school or delivering essential items like mail, medication or groceries, these activities can continue.

People who live alone

For people who live alone, a core bubble is a maximum of two people you see regularly. You must not host gatherings.

University students

Welcoming your child home from university is okay. This is not a social gathering.

Restrictions by sector

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Funerals, weddings and baptisms

Formal meetings

Rental and home sale viewings

Religious gatherings and worship services

Workplaces

Allowed activities

These activities are not considered a social gathering:

Going for a walk. You must make sure a walk does not turn into a group of people meeting outside
Parents carpooling kids to and from school
Grandparents providing child care

Restaurants, pubs and bars

You must wear a mask when not at a table. Events are no longer allowed.

Restaurants, pubs and bars can continue to operate if they have a COVID-19 Safety Plan and employee protocols in place.

Remember, a maximum of six people at a table and no moving between tables

WorkSafeBC will be conducting inspections to verify that COVID-19 Safety Plans remain effective. Establishments that are noncompliant with plan requirements may face orders and fines, and possible referral to public health which may result in a closure order.

Review the PHO Order – Food and Liquor Serving Premises (PDF)

Physical activities and gyms

By order of the PHO, restrictions are in place for indoor physical activities. These temporary restrictions are in place to limit the amount of physical interactions and travel to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Review the PHO Order – Gatherings and Events (PDF)

High intensity group fitness activities

Businesses, recreation centres or other organizations that organize or operate high intensity group fitness activities must suspend the following activities:

Hot yoga
Spin classes
Aerobics
Bootcamp
Circuit training
High intensity interval training (HIIT)

High intensity fitness activities cause a sustained and accelerated rate of breathing and may involve close contact with other people.

Low intensity group fitness activities

Businesses, recreation centres or other organizations that organize or operate low intensity group fitness activities must temporarily suspend them or move to virtual options, until guidance is developed to allow these activities to resume. These include:

Yoga
Pilates
Light weightlifting
Adult dance classes
Stretching or strengthening
Tai-Chi

Low intensity fitness activities do not cause a sustained and accelerated rate of breathing and do not involve close contact with other people.

Businesses who close due to COVID-19 restrictions could be eligible to receive rent support of up to 90 percent.

Gyms and recreation facilities

Gyms and recreation facilities that offer individual workouts and personal training sessions can remain open as long as they have a COVID-19 Safety Plan that is strictly followed.

Sports and extracurricular activities

By order of the PHO, restrictions are in place for adult and youth indoor and outdoor sports. These temporary restrictions are in place to limit the amount of physical interactions and travel to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Review the PHO Order – Gatherings and Events (PDF)

Adult indoor and outdoor team sports

All indoor and outdoor sports for people 19 years of age and older are suspended. These include:

Basketball
Cheerleading
Combat sports
Floor hockey
Floor ringette
Road hockey
Ice hockey
Ringette
Martial arts
Netball
Team skating
Soccer
Volleyball
Indoor bowling
Lawn bowling
Curling
Lacrosse
Hockey
Ultimate
Rugby
Football
Baseball
Softball

Youth indoor and outdoor team sports

All organized indoor and outdoor sports for people under 19 years of age must follow viaSport’s Return to Sport Phase 2 guidance with respect to maintaining physical distance for participants. This means games, tournaments and competitions are temporarily suspended for teams.

Individual drills and modified training activities can continue
Amateur sports organizations and leagues may implement additional guidelines to ensure the health and safety of participants

Spectators

Under the order, no spectators are allowed at any sport activities. The only people allowed to attend sport activities are those that provide care to a participant or player. For example, providing first aid.

Travel for team activities

Travel to, from and between communities for team athletic activities like games, competitions, training and practice is prohibited. For example:

A team from Abbotsford cannot attend a training session in Chilliwack
A team from Victoria cannot attend a practice in Richmond

Sport exemptions

High performance athletes, professional athletes and professional performers like dancers are not included in the order. To qualify as a high performance athlete, you must be:

Identified by the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific as a high performance athlete affiliated with an accredited provincial or national sports organization
Continuing to follow the safety guidelines of your provincial sports organization

Youth extracurricular activities

Structured extracurricular activities and programs for people under 19 years of age can continue to operate with a COVID-19 Safety Plan in place and must be supervised but an adult. These include:

Educational programs
Music
Art
Dance
Drama
Recreational programs
Outdoor fitness
Social activities

Under the order, performances, recitals and demonstrations are not allowed.

Mask requirements in public indoor settings

As outlined in the mask mandate order, masks are required for everyone in many public indoor settings. A face shield is not a substitute for a mask as it has an opening below the mouth.

There are exemptions for:

People with health conditions or with physical, cognitive or mental impairments who cannot wear one
People who cannot remove a mask on their own
Children under the age of 12

Masks are required in many indoor public settings and all retail stores. This includes:

Malls, shopping centres
Grocery stores
Airports
Coffee shops
On public transportation, in a taxi or ride-sharing vehicle
Places of worship
Libraries
Common areas of post-secondary institutions, office buildings, court houses, hospitals and hotels
Clothing stores
Liquor stores
Drug stores
Community centres
Recreation centres
City Halls
Restaurants, pubs and bars when not seated at a table
Sport or fitness facilities when not working out

Mask enforcement

You are subject to a $230 fine if you:

Do not wear a mask in an indoor public setting, unless you are exempt
Refuse to comply with the direction of an enforcement officer, including the direction to leave the space
Engage in abusive or belligerent behaviour

Masks at workplaces and shared living areas

Emergency Management BC is reviewing other community locations where a mask mandate may be advisable and anticipates issuing a further order to enforce requirements for masks in common areas of apartment buildings, condos and workplaces.

It is strongly recommended that masks be worn in the following areas:

Common areas in apartment buildings and condos, including:
- Elevators
- Hallways
- Lobbies
- Stairwells
Shared indoor workplace spaces, including:
- Elevators
- Kitchens
- Hallways
- Break rooms

Travel advisory

At this time, all non-essential travel should be avoided. This includes travel into and out of B.C. and between regions of the province. For example:

Do not travel for a vacation
Do not travel to visit friends or family outside of your household or core bubble

What is essential travel?

Individual circumstances may affect whether a trip is considered essential or non-essential. Essential travel within B.C. includes:

Regular travel for work within your region
Travel for things like medical appointments and hospital visits

For example, if you live in Vancouver and work in Surrey you can continue to commute.

If you need to travel for essential reasons, take the same health and safety precautions you do at home.

Wash your hands often
Practice safe distancing, 2 m
Travel only with yourself, household or pandemic bubble
Stick to the outdoors whenever possible
Clean spaces often
Wear a mask in indoor spaces

Travel for mountain sports

Ski and snowboard at your local mountains. For example, if you live in Vancouver, you should ski at Cypress, Grouse or Mt. Seymour.

Coming from outside of B.C.

At this time, people travelling to B.C. from another province or territory within Canada should only come for essential reasons. If you do travel, you are expected to follow the same travel guidelines as everyone else in B.C.

The restriction of all non-essential travel at the Canada-U.S. border remains in effect
Travellers to and from the United States going to and from Alaska must proceed directly to their destination and self-isolate during any necessary overnight stops
International travellers returning to B.C. are required by law to self-quarantine for 14 days and complete the federal ArriveCAN application

Flights to and from B.C.

The order does not restrict flights entering and leaving B.C.

Enforcement

During a public health emergency under the Public Health Act, the PHO can make orders as needed. You must follow the orders.

Under the Government’s Emergency Program Act, some orders can be enforced by police or other compliance and enforcement officials. People who don’t follow these orders could be fined.

Workplace enforcement

In addition to compliance activities by WorkSafe, an Environmental Health Officers team will focus on workplaces in the Vancouver Coastal and Fraser Health regions to ensure COVID-19 Safety Plan compliance and enable rapid response and action.

by Province of B.C.