B.C. changing pandemic guidelines for schools, daycares after spring break

British Columbia is changing its COVID-19 guidelines for schools and childcare operators, as the province emerges from the latest wave of the pandemic.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Thursday that masks will no longer be required in all school settings once students return from spring break.

At the briefing Thursday, Henry also announced that the province's mask mandate would be lifting on Friday, though masks will still be required in some settings, such as health-care facilities and schools until spring break is over.

Henry also announced that the BC Vaccine passport system will no longer be required starting April 8.

Changes to health guidelines for early childhood educators and the K-12 system are still being developed, Henry said. However, all changes will be in effect and listed once students return from spring break in late March.

POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS

The province also announced that it will be lifting the vaccine rules for students living in residence at post-secondary institutions next month.

Currently, health orders require students at post-secondary institutions to show their proof of vaccination if they are living in residency, while unvaccinated students must wear facemasks throughout residential buildings, unless they are inside their own rooms.

This requirement will lift on April 8, alongside the lifting of the vaccine passport system.

"Our risks are now much lower," said Henry on Thursday.

"They're not zero, we're not fully out of this yet, but I'm confident that we can make further changes," she said.

B.C.'s top doctor said the province has been using all of the tools in its pandemic toolkit to manage transmission.

"We've had to use all of them all of the time. But we are now transitioning to using some of our tools some of the time because we are in a different place," she said.