B.C. has issued a public health order extending the temporary orders requiring the closure of gyms, fitness studios, bars and nightclubs which were set to expire on Jan. 18.
The original notice was issued on Dec. 22, for a temporary period.
Today’s order extends those measures without an end date set.
Health Minister Adrian Dix tweeted this new public health order was implemented to provide an extension so the order remained in place until Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer, had a chance to provide an update on them on Jan. 18.
The previous December 22nd orders had end dates of 12:01 am, Tuesday, January 18. Dr. Henry will be providing an update on the new orders on Tuesday, January 18 – this updated order was made to ensure the order remained in place until Dr. Henry spoke about them on Tuesday.
— Adrian Dix (@adriandix) January 18, 2022
For gyms, restricted activities include working out at a gym, participating in low or high-intensity group exercise or fitness classes, including yoga, barre, CrossFit, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and weight training, and participating in dance classes at a dance studio.
In a response to CHEK News, Island Health says in 2021 there were 376 unique cases of COVID-19 linked to fitness studios or gyms. The health authority says cases are linked if they attended a fitness studio or gym during their incubation or infectious period.
Island Health says they do not have data for 2020 as the data for that year was not tracked in the same way.
READ MORE: Petition asks B.C. to show data on COVID exposures at gyms, fitness centres or reopen them
Sports tournaments and travelling for sport are also not allowed operating.
High-performance athletes are exempt from this notice, and swimming pools are allowed operating at 50 per cent capacity but vaccine QR codes must be checked at entry.
Bars and nightclubs, and any other facility which does not offer a full meal service must close.
Restaurants and pubs restrictions include a maximum of six people per table, two metres between tables, no mingling between tables, and requiring masks when not seated at a table.
This story has been updated with a statement from the Ministry of Health.
Laura Brougham
