COVID-19: BC set to expand interior masking rule to children ages 5 and up

News of the planned expansion of the indoor mask rules comes as BC surpassed 2,000 deaths from COVID-19.

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BC is expanding its indoor masking rule to include children ages five and up.

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Provincial health official Dr. Bonnie Henry is expected to expand the public health order requiring masks in indoor public spaces, including supermarkets, shopping malls and libraries. Currently, that order applies to people over the age of 12.

The expansion will align with recent changes to the masking rules for British Columbia schools, which are now in effect for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the Health Ministry said in a written statement.

More details on the decision, including when it will take effect, are expected next week.

News of the planned expansion comes as BC surpassed 2,000 COVID-19 deaths.

Five deaths within the 24-hour period reported Friday – three in the Fraser Health region, one in Interior Health and one in Northern Health – pushed BC past the 2,000 mark. The total number of deaths due to the pandemic now stands at 2,001.

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Also on Friday, BC reported 743 new infections, bringing the number of active cases to 5,969. Of these, 360 people are hospitalized, including 137 in intensive care.

The new infections are occurring throughout the province. Populous Fraser Health reported 265 new cases, while the sparsely populated Northern Health region had 196 new cases. Interior Health reported 143 new infections; Island Health was 70, while Vancouver Coastal Health was 69.

More than 3.8 million British Columbia residents have received their full course of two COVID-19 vaccines.

On Friday, TransLink announced that it will require its employees to provide proof of complete immunization by November 29. The BC Court of Appeals, BC Supreme Court and BC Provincial Court also said that court personnel and service providers accessing secure areas in courthouses will have to be fully vaccinated by November 22.

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Reference-vancouversun.com

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