B.C. extends COVID-19 measures for 5 more weeks

British Columbia has extended pandemic restrictions on indoor dining at restaurants and bars until the end of the long weekend in May.

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Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the measures that also restrict adult activities at gyms will continue beyond the initial three-week deadline because the province is in "a very challenging situation."

Henry says some restaurants and bars have pushed the limit by seating large numbers of people on patios and some gyms have also not been following the guidelines.

She says that while people have been encouraged to gather outdoors in groups of up to 10 in their bubble, it's concerning that some have skirted those guidelines.

She says the province is also looking at measures to reduce travel from other provinces.

The province has also announced that residents aged 40 and over in 13 high-risk communities will be the focus of an immunization program this week with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.