With children from kindergarten up now required to wear masks in B.C. schools, the current public health order for stores, libraries and other indoor public spaces is likely to be extended as early as next week to include children aged five and older.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s public mask order now starts at age nine, matching the previous school mask rule that was changed effective Oct. 4 to extend to younger children. The public spaces mask order will be changed to age five and up to match the school order, Henry told CHEK News in Victoria on Friday.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has reported an increase in infections among children, particularly those under 12 who are not yet eligible for vaccination. Pfizer is applying to Health Canada for approval of its vaccine in younger children, after submitting data from a clinical trial of children aged five to 11 to U.S. regulators.
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tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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