Northern Health regional Public Health Orders lifted; provincial COVID-19 restrictions apply

Dear ABLE BC members and industry colleagues,

We are delighted to share some good news today for members in the Northern Health region. As of January 20, Northern Health licensees are no longer required to stop serving liquor at 10:00 p.m.

As a result of advocacy from ABLE BC and our industry associations partners, Northern Health has repealed its regional orders and is aligning with COVID-19 restrictions in place for the rest of BC.

You can read the Northern Health Information Bulletin here.

All current Provincial Public Health Orders continue to be in effect in all regions. Highlights of the current PHO include:

  • Premises which are licensed to serve liquor, and which do not have full meal service, must be closed.

  • “full meal service” includes food provided by a caterer to the premises or available from a food truck located beside or on the premises, but does not include snacks, appetizers or tapas on their own.

  • Patrons must stay in the seat to which they are assigned, or at which they seat themselves, and must not move from table to table or mingle with patrons from other parties when not seated.

  • No more than 6 patrons may be seated at a table, unless the party consists of one set of parents and their minor children.

  • Patrons must remain seated, other than in private clubs or tasting rooms with a liquor manufacturer’s licence, except:

  • to to use a self- serve food or drink station, a self-serve lottery ticket dispenser, pay at a pay station, use washroom facilities, to provide assistance to another person who requires care or first aid, when leaving the premises, or

  • to play pool, billiards, snooker, or darts, or bowl (if there is a bowling alley on premises), with a maximum of five other persons who are in the same party as the patron and who are seated with the patron:

  • There must be a distance of two metres between the backs of the seats of patrons seated at adjacent tables or booths, even if members of the same party are seated at adjacent tables or booths, unless the adjacent tables or booths are separated by physical barriers.

  • There must be two metres between patrons seated at a counter, unless the patrons are in the same party or they are separated by physical barriers.

  • If there are physical barriers between tables or booths or seats at a counter, the tops and bottoms of the physical barriers must be positioned so that the physical barriers block the transmission of droplets produced by breathing, talking, coughing or sneezing between patrons who are seated at adjacent tables, booths or seats at a counter.

  • Dance floors must be closed with physical barriers or occupied with tables.

  • Patrons must not dance on the premises.

Full details regarding the current PHO can be found here.

We know these orders continue to significantly impact your businesses. We will continue to work with government officials to ensure financial support for businesses is available.

If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact ABLE BC: info@ablebc.ca.

For more information

Ann Brydle