B.C. to allow youth sports tournaments to resume as COVID-19 restrictions eased
Youth sports tournaments will be allowed to resume next week in British Columbia as health officials say the province's COVID-19 case numbers are trending in the right direction.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced Tuesday that organized tournaments for people 21 years or younger would be back on in B.C. starting Feb. 1.
"I know that this is an important time of the year for many different sports, especially team sports, and we've been working with organizers… to make sure that this can be done in a safe way," Henry said.
Adult sports tournaments will remain restricted at this time, Henry said.
Masks will be required for tournament participants when not actively participating in the sport, according to amended restrictions published by the province Tuesday.
Proof of vaccination will also be required for all spectators 12 years and older and all parents, coaches and volunteers.
"We do continue to see a gradual decline in our case rates over time and a levelling off of our test-positivity," Henry said. "But at the same time, the number of people in hospital remains high and it’s the highest it has been in our pandemic."
Twenty-four people died of COVID-19 in B.C. over the weekend, as 4,997 new cases were identified.
As of Monday, there were 31,822 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 in B.C.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.