Six chambers of commerce in the Okanagan have penned an open letter to B.C.’s top officials, questioning why COVID-19 mandates are still in effect throughout the province.
“Every province in Canada, with the exception of British Columbia, has announced the lifting of mandates in place due to COVID-19,” reads the two-page letter that was released to the media on Tuesday.
The chambers are from Armstrong, Lake Country, Peachland, Penticton, Summerland and West Kelowna, and the letter addresses “some concerns regarding the mandates that have remained in place in B.C., and the effect this is having on local businesses, the economy and our communities.”
Addressed to Premier John Horgan, health minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, the letter continues, saying “while we understand that each province has created and followed their own health guidelines, the lack of consistent scientific evidence amongst health authorities and scientists, both nationally and internationally, for the implementation of mandates and vaccine passports have instead resulted in detrimental harms to society.”
The letter also says the last two years have caused an incredible amount of instability, and that there are concerns if restrictions aren’t lifted in the near future.
Those concerns include:
That 10 per cent of B.C.’s population is unvaccinated, and that segment continues to be excluded from some parts of society, which leads to a financial hit.
The chambers estimated the financial hit at $1.4 billion, with monthly spending on restaurants ($300), entertainment ($200) and recreation and fitness ($100).
That B.C. tourism financially fell to $7.1 billion in 2020 from $22.3 billion in 2019. Figures for 2021 were not yet available.
“We anticipate it will suffer even further as many will choose to take holidays in provinces without restrictions over spring break and as we approach the warmer weather,” reads the letter.
Staff shortages and vaccinated versus unvaccinated dialogue “has created a detrimental division in our communities that we may never fully recover from,” says the letter.
It also says “transparency has been requested from our government by our local chambers in the past months, and those requests have been ignored, but there is no denying that the harms of these mandates cannot be ignored and will only worsen with time.”
In an email to Global News, the Ministry of Health said public health decisions aren’t made lightly, and that temporarily having health and safety measures in place for businesses is a measure to help protect B.C. hospitals from being overwhelmed, to keep people safe and to slow the sudden and rapid spread of the virus.
“Our decisions are guided by science, prudence and care, and our commitment to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” said the ministry. “The number of cases, immunizations rates, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, deaths and outbreaks and clusters are some of the metrics that are considered in decision making.
“Our plan is guided by the best advice of public health professionals. The focus will always be on preventing serious consequences and reducing transmission and keeping people safe while minimizing social disruption. The gradual lifting of orders and restrictions will only happen as it is safe to do so.”
Comments