B.C. temporarily bans alcohol sales on New Year’s Eve, reports 485 new COVID-19 cases

With less than 48 hours to go before British Columbians can say goodbye to 2020, the provincial government has announced a short-term ban on alcohol sales starting tomorrow night.

On Wednesday (Dec. 30), Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer, introduced a new temporary public health order banning the sale of alcohol at bars, pubs, restaurants, and liquor stores beginning at 8 p.m. tomorrow (Dec. 31).

The order includes on-site and off-site sales and will end at 9 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Bars will be required to close at 9 p.m. while restaurants, however, will be allowed to continue with meal service, provided they stop selling alcohol at 8 p.m.

Henry explained that health officials are concerned about possible larger parties and gatherings, similar to what occurred on Halloween.

“The purpose is to decrease the late-night consumption of alcohol, that leads to what we know can be risky behaviour including gatherings and parties that we have seen in the past to increased transmission of this virus,” she said.

B.C.’s top doctor said she decided against completely banning the sale of alcohol for all of New Year’s Eve and early New Year’s Day, partly because the problem isn’t so much to do with people who go out for dinner and have a drink with their meal, but those who are partying.

“It is when we are starting to see a lot of extra consumption and that celebratory party atmosphere in the evening and this [order] is an attempt to curve that,” she said.

The short-term ban comes as health officials reported 485 new cases – including 16 in Island Health – and 11 deaths from COVID-19 since their last update on Dec. 29.

The number of confirmed cases in B.C. climbs to 51,300 while the province’s death toll now stands at 893.

Of the new cases reported, 117 were recorded in Vancouver Coastal Health, 211 were in Fraser Health, 16 in Island Health, 57 in Interior Health, and 84 in Northern Health.

There are currently 7,551 active cases in the province, 379 people in hospital —  77 of whom are in intensive care — and at least 9,320 people under active public health monitoring due to possible exposure to an identified case.

The province said during its update that it’s likely that about 70 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated in B.C. before life can possibly return to some kind of pre-COVID normal.

However, on a positive note, the province says the new Moderna vaccine has arrived at 10 remote and isolated First Nations communities and immunizations will begin later today or tomorrow.

Island Health

According to the latest data provided by Island Health, there are currently 79 active cases on Vancouver Island, an increase of three since Dec. 29.

Of those active cases, there are 42 (+1) in southern Vancouver Island, 17 (-2) cases in the central Island, and 20 (+4) cases in the north Island.

There is one more active case in the south Island, four more active cases in the north Island and two fewer active cases in central Island since the last update.

The Island Health region has a total of 917 confirmed cases of COVID-19 — 319 in the south Island, 393 in central Island and 205 in north Island — since the pandemic began.

Southern Vancouver Island includes the Greater Victoria region, Southern Gulf Islands and the Port Renfrew area.

Central Vancouver Island includes the Cowichan Valley, Duncan, Nanaimo, Parksville, Port Alberni and Tofino areas.

Northern Vancouver Island goes from the Comox Valley to Port Hardy but also includes surrounding areas like Alert Bay and Sointula.

npescod@cheknews.ca

Editorial Policies Report an Error