B.C.’s top doctor says employers should plan now for lots of sick workers

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s provincial health officer is advising businesses to put contingency plans in place to continue operating as up to one-third of their staff could be off sick with the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says private companies, schools and health-care sites must all prepare for a wave of illness by reinforcing safety protocols like physical distancing to protect as many people as possible.

She says businesses that require employees to come into a workplace should stagger shifts and break times, use Plexiglas barriers and limit the number of customers entering the premises.

Henry says schools must remain open as a delayed start to classes begins next week because they provide the best social, emotional and intellectual development for children.