VICTORIA, B.C. – As the fourth wave of COVID-19 continues, the B.C. Green Caucus is calling for stronger public health measures including mandatory masks, safe school plans, and vaccine certificates to better protect British Columbians.
“We are asking for this government to implement further public health measures that will protect our communities from the Delta variant while allowing British Columbians to enjoy our province safely,” said Sonia Furstenau, leader of the B.C. Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley. “We have a collective responsibility to protect and care for each other, and this government needs to lead the way. British Columbians want this pandemic to be over and some sense of normalcy to return to life, but we can’t get there without government leadership.”
“In B.C. we currently have the second highest rate of infection per capita in Canada. This fourth wave is disproportionately affecting those who are unvaccinated, and we have to remember those who aren’t able to get vaccinated include children under 12,” said Adam Olsen, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands and parent of a child under 12.
The B.C. Green Caucus is calling on government to urgently adopt the following measures:
Protect community health
- Reinstate mandatory masks in all indoor public settings across the province
- Require all workers in healthcare, education, and public-facing government institutions to be fully vaccinated
- Develop guidance on the use of vaccine certificates for non-essential, public congregate activities (sporting events, concerts, bars, nightclubs, etc.)
Protect our classrooms
- Dedicate capital funding to increased ventilation and improved air filtration through mandatory instalment of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters in all K-12 schools
- Require all staff and all students under the age of 12 to wear masks in the classroom
- Reinstate contact tracing, smaller class sizes, and online options
Keep the public informed
- Report daily on the number of breakthrough cases of COVID-19, privately funded vs. publicly funded tests, the age of those hospitalized, and provide this data by Local Health Area
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Media contact
JoJo Beattie
Press Secretary
B.C. Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | [email protected]