For the second year in a row, British Columbians are being asked to keep holiday celebrations small to avoid another surge in COVID-19 cases.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry urged residents to work together throughout the "peak risk period" of the year in order to keep COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations at a manageable level.
"You can spend time with your loved ones – and indeed you must spend time, we need to have that time together – but have a smaller gathering this year … rather than the full big family reunion," Henry said. "And make sure everyone is vaccinated."
B.C. struggled to control COVID-19 transmission for much of the late summer and early fall, but case numbers have been gradually declining in recent weeks.
During a modelling presentation last Thursday, Henry confirmed the province's reproductive number has dropped to at or below one in every region, meaning each new infection is spreading to an average of one additional person at most.
But that progress is fragile, Henry cautioned, particularly now that the highly contagious Delta variant dominates in Canada, unlike last year.
Limiting groups to people who are fully vaccinated is particularly important if there will be older or immunocompromised guests in attendance, Henry said. That includes people who are undergoing cancer treatments.
"If they're joining you, you need to do more to protect them, and that means making sure that everybody who can (get vaccinated) is vaccinated," Henry said.
- with files from CTV -