Exclusive: Dr. Bonnie Henry’s office responds to questions surrounding reopening of arts events
The B.C. public health officer indicated indoor in-person religious services could resume in April
B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix. Photo by Government of BC
FOLLOWING YESTERDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT by Dr. Bonnie Henry about plans to loosen COVID-19 restrictions for in-person religious services, Stir received an email response from the provincial health officer’s office to its questions asking specifically about safe reopening of the arts.
At the March 15 press conference, Henry said the province will tweak its rules “in the coming days” to allow outdoor religious services in small numbers while other changes will likely be developed to allow for Passover and Easter events, with a tentative goal of reopening indoor services “across the board” by mid-April: “For some it will be important to have some limited indoor access for those celebrations,” she said.
Throughout the pandemic, Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have noted repeatedly that they have been working with faith leaders about how to safely allow religious gatherings to proceed.
“Over the past weeks, we’ve been working on how we can safely re-open in-person services, as I know how challenging it has been,” Henry said at yesterday's press briefing, adding her office is consulting “a panel of different faith leaders who have been so helpful. It's just like each of the other sectors we're working with: so with viaSport we have representatives to help us to develop the guidelines for how we can have sports reopening. And that's coming as well, in April.”
She also stated: “Finally, we’re using the process to find a way that we can have a safe, phased reopening of in-person religious services across the board over the next few months. And the target for that, based on the advice I’ll be getting in the next few weeks, is I’m hopeful we're looking at sometime in April.”
Response from some members of Vancouver’s arts community was one of extreme frustration, in light of no mention being made of the arts. Stir has attended several press conferences but has not been called on to pose a question directly to Henry or Dix about safe reopening of performing-arts venues, cinemas, and theatres.
Corinne Lea from the Rio has been outspoken about the inconsistencies in allowing restaurants, pubs, malls, bowling alleys, and other public places to operate with certain COVID-19 policies and procedures in place while theatres, performing-arts venues, and cinemas remain shuttered. As a liquor-primary establishment, the Rio now calls itself and operates as sports bar in response to public-health restrictions that went into place in November.
“Bonnie Henry announced plans to reopen Churches. But still no mention of arts venues. Meanwhile they doubled our seating at @RioTheatre as soon as we became a sports bar. Yet cinemas remain closed. So don’t tell me this is about safety & science,” Lea tweeted on March 15.
The Rio tweeted: As #RioSportsBar, BC's Ministry of Health says we can operate safely with 125+ people, but we can't operate safely, as a cinema showing films, with 50. Trust us, we can't wrap our buttery brains around it either. Maybe arts/culture needs a "faith leader" advocate, too. #BCPoli
Meanwhile, Stir reached out to the Ministry of Health’s media relations department by phone, text, and email to inquire as to whether Henry or Dix could comment on the safe reopening of the arts.
Stir also followed up via text with a subsequent question: “Minister Dix and Dr. Henry have made mention of meeting regularly with members of the food sector as well as faith leaders. Have any similar consultations happened with members of the arts sector? Could we learn more if so and if not, may we ask why?”
Stir received a written response on March 16 from the Ministry of Health. It is reprinted below in full:
“We are progressing, but we're not yet in a place where any of us can let go of this progress that we have made, as much as we may want to. But what we can do is focus on those things that we can do safely. And right now, as the weather gets better, as we know we're heading into the period where the transmissibility will decrease, and we know we need that social connection, right now what we can do is safely move outside for some of those connections.
“Decisions around public health orders like the ones currently in place are not made lightly, and are always made with public health and safety at the forefront. We recognize the limitations put on many industries, including the arts, theatres and live performances, present further challenges to industries already greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While Dr. Henry has expressed optimism in recent COVID-19 updates that select restrictions may be able to be eased or lifted in the weeks and months ahead, a number of public health orders limiting or restricting events and gathering remains in place, including orders prohibiting in-person events of this kind.
“All decisions related to the easing of restrictions will be based on the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community and related risk of transmission, among other factors. Updates related to any potential changes in restrictions will be shared with the public as soon as they are available.
”The B.C. government will continue to listen to feedback from the community and stakeholders and adjust our response to support businesses as needed.”
Stir has been covering the impact of COVID-19 on the arts community closely: see articles here, here, and here, among others. Stir also connected with Melanie Mark, Hli Haykwhl Ẃii Xsgaak, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, to ask about the reopening of performing-arts venues.
See Stir's News section for other related coverage. Stir will continue to cover this story as it develops.
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