UPDATE: Provincial health officer relaxes strict COVID restrictions in Interior Health

Despite concerns about the new Omicron variant showing up in B.C., the social gathering restrictions in the Interior Health region have been repealed as of midnight tonight.

That means the rules on things like sports or social events that apply in much of B.C. now apply throughout the Interior Health region, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced at a news briefing today, Nov. 30.

That means that, while proof of vaccination is needed for indoor public events with more than 50 people, such events can be at full occupancy rather than at 50%. Masks are still required for such events. Maximum capacity for outdoor events is 5,000.

READ MORE: B.C. government workers vaccinated at higher rate than province as a whole

It also means there are no size restrictions on personal gatherings in private homes and vacation accommodations, but it is recommended that such gatherings be kept small and being outdoors is safer.

Details on provincial restrictions can be seen here.

Restrictions will remain in place, for now, in the Northern Health region and Fraser Valley East.

New restrictions were imposed throughout B.C. on faith gatherings, given concerns about the new variant, so that masks must be worn during services and capacities will be limited to 50% or 50 people unless they are all vaccinated.

 — This article was updated at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021, to add more details from Interior Health.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Rob Munro or call 250-808-0143 or email the editor. You can also submitphotos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics

More Articles

Leave a Reply