Bonnie Henry

British Columbia will lift its mask mandate and capacity limits for faith gatherings on Friday, March 11, 2022, while restrictions of visitors at some long-term care facilities will be dropped, as long as they are fully vaccinated and tested for COVID-19 when entering.

Horgan's comments came Tuesday as some provinces announced plans to remove many COVID-19 restrictions, including Saskatchewan, which is dropping its vaccine passports and won't renew its indoor mask mandate, while many of Quebec's restrictions will be gradually removed by March 14.

The rampant spread of the Omicron variant has stoked alarm across the border, where the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a fresh Level 4 "avoid travel" advisory for Canada, citing a "very high" level of COVID-19 in the country and urging anyone who must go to be fully vaccinated.

Canadians in some parts of the country saw surgeries postponed, access to COVID-19 testing reduced and a return to classes delayed as provinces continued to struggle on Tuesday, January 4, 2022, with a sustained wave of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.