BC COVID-19 Actions and Restrictions on Physical Activity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v18i3.797Keywords:
Interactive Timeline, Provincial Orders, Physical Activity, COVID-19, British ColumbiaAbstract
Background: At the start of 2020, a novel corona virus disease (COVID-19), began sweeping across the world. Canada took numerous measures to reduce transmission, and provinces additionally implemented their own strategies. The province of British Columbia (BC) instated several strategies including “lock-down” type procedures resulting in the closure of businesses, schools, community centres, playgrounds, and exercise and recreation sites. Purpose: The purpose of this narrative review and interactive timeline is to provide an overview of the numerous actions and restrictions impacting physical activity in BC. Methods: A search was conducted from the dates of March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 on the BC Government News Archives, COVID-19 archive records from the Vancouver Coastal Health authority, and municipality websites for the City of Vancouver and the City of Surrey. Total case numbers of COVID-19 in BC were downloaded from a data set on the BC Centre for Disease Control website. This data was combined to produce an interactive timeline using H5P. Results: From March 2020 to June 2021, there were at least 34 dates on which actions and restrictions were taken in BC that impacted physical activity. Restrictions ranged from closing facilities, such as community centres, ice arenas, gyms, and fitness studios to parks and playgrounds, while actions included the reopening of these facilities and the provision of funding. Conclusion: These restrictions, while meant to control the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure the health and safety of the population, also restricted people’s ability to engage in their usual physical activity.
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