The vaccine programme is also set to end in April, along with other workplace restrictions
Employers in British Columbia are now leaving face masks in the past following an order from the provincial government last week, which also said that proof of vaccination requirements will be bidding adieu in April. The order from the B.C. government nullifies the provision in the Workplace Safety Order that requires employees to wear masks inside indoor common areas.
However, employees may still "choose to continue to require wearing masks for operational reasons or in certain settings," said the provincial government in its announcement.
The lifting of mask mandates in workplaces is only part of the government's expanded move to no longer require face masks across the province unless individual businesses and other organisations choose to continue requiring them.
"Masks are encouraged on public transit and BC Ferries but are no longer required under public health order," clarified the government in its order.
The government attributed its eased restrictions on "ongoing and careful" data review, which saw a "significant decrease" in weekly hospital admissions and critical care admissions in the past month.
"Thanks to high levels of vaccination, decreasing transmission enabled by British Columbians’ resolve and the public health orders we’ve had in place, we are now able to lift more restrictions and continue moving forward as a province," said Health Minister Adrian Dix.
Recently, the government also allowed B.C. employers to turn down remote work requests from employees in a bid to support the return of staff back on-site.
Read more: BC forecasts more than one million job openings in next decade
Proof of vaccinations
Following the easing of mask mandates, the B.C. government also announced that the remainder of the Workplace Safety Order will be lifted on April 8.
This means that "businesses will transition back to communicable disease plans to reduce risk of all communicable disease," according to the government announcement.
This includes the removal of requiring BC Vaccine Card proof of vaccination to access non-essential events, services, and businesses.
"Individual businesses and organizations can choose to continue to require the BC Vaccine Card proof on their premises," the government clarified.
The province's vaccine card programme was introduced back in September when the Delta variant of COVID-19 was still wreaking havoc. It was supposed to end by the end of January but was extended following the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
According to the provincial government, it will continue monitoring the pandemic situation and provide updates on the COVID-19 pandemic in B.C.
