Return to Schools, Surgeries and Salons

On May 14th BC parks opened for day use only. Playgrounds, picnic grounds and tables still closed to the public.

BC announces a part-time voluntary return to school starting June 1st. Rigorous cleaning measures must be in place. There will be a 50% return to in-class time for elementary aged students and a 20% return for middle and high school students. Schools will look significantly different than previously. Hand washing will be required upon entry, any staff or student feeling unwell must stay home. Online home learning will continue for those not returning.

Emergency wage subsidy from the Federal Government will be extended to end of Aug. Seventy five per cent of payroll per employee is available for eligible businesses.

Starting May 19th Interior Health will begin offering elective surgeries again. The priority will be to minimize risk of COVID-19. Those who do not wish to proceed with surgery will not lose place on wait list. When possible, patients will be assessed through virtual pre-admission 24-72 hours prior to surgery and on the day of surgery upon arrival. More time will be given between surgeries to allow for extra cleaning.

The closure order for gyms will be lifted May 19th. Facilities must develop a plan as laid out by the BC health office before the can re-open. WorkSafeBC is working to support the direction of public health agencies for slowing the progression of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) by helping workplaces to take appropriate preventative measures. Every employer is required to have a COVID-19 safety plan that assesses the risk of exposure at their workplace and implements measures to keep their workers safe. If a formal plan is not already in place prior to operation, businesses are expected to develop it while protecting the safety of their workers.

Beauty parlors will be allowed to open as well, there are three tiers of risk for services offered and each has different requirements.

The Seton Lake beach and boat launch outside of Lillooet are still closed to the public. The compost facility (west of Cache Creek) is regulated by Environmental Management Act permit 108210. This permit does not authorize burning and this fire was the result of autogenic heating of a cull/oversize materials pile. The Ministry first became aware of this fire Monday, May 11th and on the morning of May 13th, ML Jackie Tegart issued a Pollution Prevention Order when it became apparent that the operator did not have the ability to combat this fire. The fire fighting contractor attended late yesterday and as of this morning the fire is largely out and the contractor is still mopping up, so there is still smoke being released; however, smoke release is expected to cease later today. MLA Tegart offered apologies for the provinces delay as a number of agencies were involved and it took some time to realize that none were auctioning this incident. MLA Tegat’s office stepped in with our order under Section 81 of the Environmental Management Act as soon as it determined it was needed to compel the necessary action.