The new Province-wide orders and direction from the BC government include the following measures applicable to workplaces.
Workplaces
- Employers must review and redouble their efforts on their COVID-19 Safety Plan, remind employees to monitor themselves daily and to always stay home if they have symptoms.
- Employers must make every effort to provide work from home options.
- Workplaces must ensure that all workers and customers wear masks in common areas
- Extra care should be taken in small office spaces, break rooms and kitchens
- Review the WorkSafeBC COVID-19 Safety Plan documentation
Daily screening
A daily screening should already be included in every business’s existing COVID-19 Safety Plan. A list of COVID-19 symptoms and additional resources can be downloaded from the WorkSafeBC website.
Mask requirements
- Masks are now required for everyone in all public indoor settings and workplaces.
- People who cannot put on or remove a mask on their own are exempt.
- Masks for children under the age of 2 is not recommended.
- Employers are expected to inform customers and employees of the mandatory mask policy
- A customer can be refused entry or service if they do not wear a mask
Masks in public indoor settings
Masks are required in all indoor public settings and all retail stores. This includes:
- Malls, shopping centres
- Grocery stores
- Coffee shops
- Common areas in hotels
- Libraries
- Clothing stores
- Liquor stores
- Drug stores
- Community centres
- Recreation centres
- City Halls
- Restaurants and bars when not seated at a table
- Common areas in apartment buildings and condos
Masks at workplaces
Masks are required in all workplaces for shared work areas and areas where physical distancing cannot be maintained. This includes:
- Elevators
- Kitchens
- Hallways
- Customer counters
- Break rooms
Note to our Readers: Information regarding COVID-19 is rapidly evolving. We are working to bring you up-to-date articles as the legal issues develop and to keep our previous posts updated. Given that the legal issues related to COVID-19 are constantly changing, if you are looking for legal advice or are dealing with an issue in relation to COVID-19, please contact your Harris lawyer or a member of our COVID-19 response team: Sari Wiens, Ilan Burkes, Nicole Toye or Jessica Fairbairn.
To read our most recent articles and other updates on COVID-19, visit our COVID-19 Updates page.
