B.C. Premier John Horgan tests positive for COVID-19, says symptoms are ‘mild’

Open this photo in gallery:

B.C. Premier John Horgan has tested positive for COVID-19, days after he attended a series of events including a meeting with the Prime Minister.

Mr. Horgan said in a tweet Monday morning that he is only experiencing mild symptoms, which he attributed to him being fully vaccinated.

The Premier, who recently underwent radiation treatments for throat cancer, said he’s isolating and working from home until his symptoms resolve.

“Unfortunately, we know that this virus remains active in our communities and even when you take precautions, you can still be infected. We look forward to the Premier being back in the Legislature when he’s feeling better,” said Lindsay Byers, deputy communications director for the Office of the Premier.

Last week, Mr. Horgan had an in-person meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and attended several events that were part of Globe Forum, a three-day business summit that gathered the country’s sustainability and climate leaders in downtown Vancouver.

In a photo posted by Mr. Trudeau last Tuesday, the pair were sitting apart and were wearing masks.

Cecely Roy, a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister’s Office, said Mr. Trudeau is monitoring himself for symptoms and avoiding high-risk settings. Mr. Trudeau tested positive for the coronavirus in late January.

Mr. Horgan also attended events with the province’s Economic Recovery Minister and with Indigenous leaders.

The forum was held at Vancouver Convention Centre. The event’s website notes that all in-person passes were sold out. It says Globe Forum team implemented extra sanitary measures throughout the event and adjusted seating plans for sessions to comply with social-distancing regulations.

To enter the venue, attendees needed to show their vaccine passports, a requirement that’s in place in B.C. until April 8. The forum’s website also says its staff and volunteers were required to wear a mask when facing delegates, even though the province’s mask mandate had been lifted.

The organizer didn’t comment on whether attendees were required to wear a mask and whether the event was held at full capacity, after the B.C. government removed capacity restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings and events.

B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix said he had provided on Monday his weekly public-health emergency briefing to Mr. Horgan. He said the Premier was very engaged in the conversation.

He added the Premier made a lot of effort, in course of his cancer treatments, to protect himself, and he continues to do that.

Mr. Horgan, 62, had survived bladder cancer earlier in his life. Last November, he announced that a biopsy confirmed a growth in his throat was cancerous but that doctors expected he would make a full recovery.

We have a weekly Western Canada newsletter written by our B.C. and Alberta bureau chiefs, providing a comprehensive package of the news you need to know about the region and its place in the issues facing Canada. Sign up today.