British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer has introduced sweeping new orders aimed at bending the pandemic curve in a province that has seen COVID-19 case counts spike to between 500 and 700 cases a day.

Dr. Bonnie Henry has made masks mandatory in all indoor public and retail spaces.There is a ban on all gatherings, except with household members.  Spectators are not allowed at indoor and outdoor sports events. Sports teams have been told they cannot travel to other jurisdictions to play games. Indoor physical activities like hot yoga, group spin classes and high intensity group exercise are also banned. In-person church services are not allowed. However, Henry says in person social services and support groups like AA meetings are permitted.

She is strongly recommending people not travel, even between regions of the province. BC's top doc made a special plea to young people, who have been the source of many recent outbreaks.

Dr. Bonnie Henry: 

Bars, restaurants and stores remain open, but Henry warns establishments will be shut down if they do not adhere to their COVID-19 safety plans. Henry is asking businesses to allow employees to work from home until at least the new year.

The public health orders are in place for the next two weeks, but could be extended beyond Dec. 7 if case counts do not decrease.