Children over the age of five in British Columbia now have to wear masks in all indoor public spaces across the province.

The change – impacting children between the age of five and eight – was confirmed Tuesday afternoon by Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry.

It comes four days after the health ministry hinted that the change was coming to bring it in line with mask rules in place for kids in kindergarten to Grade 3, which came into effect on Oct. 4.

“We also want to keep things as straightforward and as simple as possible, therefore I am adjusting the public mask mandate,” Henry said. “I just want to say how impressed I am. I continue to be amazed at the adaptability and the resilience of children across this province.”

The expanded mandate will apply to stores and malls, coffee shops and restaurants when not at a table, recreation centres, libraries, and other locations – all places where people over the age of nine already had to wear masks.

“We are facing a more infectious strain of the virus and many children can not yet be protected,” Henry said Friday, noting that there has been an increase in COVID cases among school-aged children.

“Wearing your mask gives you superpowers and makes you superheroes.”

Henry also said she is hoping that there will be a vaccine available for the roughly 340,000 kids aged five to 11 in the province “as early as November.” That is as she says Pfizer has requested that Health Canada approve its vaccine for kids in that age group.

“We are still in the organizing and planning phase of that,” Henry said, noting it won’t be an age-based vaccine rollout in B.C. as families often have more than one child.

She is encouraging families to register their children for their vaccines through the provincial Get Vaccinated portal.  Parents who register will get a notification when it’s time to book a vaccine appointment for their children.