Photo: The Canadian Press British Columbia’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry is defending the province’s pandemic back-to-school guidelines against calls from some parent and teacher groups for stricter COVID-19 protocols. The guidelines released Thursday encourage students and others to get vaccinated and stay home when sick, while the mask remains optional and described as a “personal or family choice.” Henry, who called mandatory coverage a “blunt tool,” said the province will monitor the spread of COVID-19 and other viruses and be ready to implement temporary measures when and if they are needed. “We have to adjust the measures we have for what we’re dealing with now, and I think these are the appropriate measures as we head into the fall,” she said in an interview Friday. “We’re in a very different place than we were a year ago with the high level of immunity and exposure to the virus that we had, and the virus itself has changed to the point where it’s much more contagious but doesn’t cause serious illness.” Clint Johnston, president of the BC Teachers Federation, said the union believes schools require stronger measures than businesses or public spaces and is calling for better ventilation in classrooms and masking requirements. Read more. August 25, 2022 – 11413 votes How often do you use cannabis? Daily: 1973 A few times a week: 629 A few times a month: 546 Very rarely: 1411 Never: 6854 Aug 23, 2022 – 12608 votes If you were given $5,000 today, how would you spend it? Save or Invest: 4480 Everyday Expenses: 1913 Pay Off Debt: 4547 Buy a Big Ticket: 1008 Uncertain: 660 22 August 2022 – 10566 votes Do you support BCGEU strike action? Yes: 4185 No: 5593 Uncertain: 788 August 20, 2022 – 13662 votes Do you support a system that forces addiction treatment on people? Yes: 9504 No: 3165 Uncertain: 993 August 17, 2022 – 11269 votes Do you have a positive memory of Zellers stores? Yes: 8081 No: 2698 Uncertain: 490
