BC Is Telling People To 'Rethink' Their Holiday Plans & Here's The Official Advice
Here's who you can hang out with.
B.C. officials have told people to rethink their plans for the holidays, given the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant.
Earlier this month, Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement that people living in B.C. should expect and plan for the worst, regarding holiday gatherings.
This came just after the first case of the Omicron variant was identified in the province on December 1.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed that as of December, 12, B.C. reported 44 cases of the Omicron variant. Dr. Henry said that "there will be more cases," of the variant.
During the conference, she celebrated one year since the first COVID-19 vaccine clinic started in B.C., on December 15, 2020. With this though, comes advice on how to have another year of Christmas in a COVID-19 world.
Dr. Henry's advice first and foremost was to get vaccinated.
"We see direct correlations with the rate vaccination in communities and the rate of transmission of COVID-19," she said.
In terms of cases, she said that there has been a steady decrease in the last couple of months, but over the past two weeks has levelled off.
She warned people not to have any large holiday parties or gatherings, saying that there is still a great amount of uncertainty surrounding the variant and how it will spread.
There are no additional restrictions being put in place in B.C. as of right now, but she encouraged people to not get together with strangers or unvaccinated people.
She advised people to "rethink those parties where you want to be together with groups of people that you may not know. That is a risky thing right now."
"You need to get vaccinated to protect yourself, to protect your family, and to protect your community," she added.
It was also announced that that rapid tests will soon be available in B.C. for free, in the new year.