British Columbians Being Told to Assume They are a Close Contact to Someone With Covid

British Columbia’s top doctor is advising everyone to assume they have been a close contact to someone with Covid.

That was just one piece of a significant shift in provincial guidance announced by Dr Bonnie Henry today.

According to the Provincial Health Officer, Omicron has made contact tracing efforts no longer reliable or effective.

She says that it is time to start managing Covid like other viral illnesses, such as the cold or flu, by staying home if you feel sick.

If you feel well, Dr Henry is advising you to continue to go to work, and school, but we should all be monitoring for symptoms regularly.

On Tuesday, the province also changed the isolation guidelines for those who have tested positive.

Vaccinated adults, and anyone aged 17 or under who tests positive, or shows symptoms, only need to self-isolate for 5 days afterwards.

Unvaccinated individuals are being asked to self-isolate for 10 days after testing positive, or showing symptoms, up from the previous 5 day requirement.

However, those only apply for either group if symptoms have improved and fevers have resolved without the use of medication.