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Video shows anti-mask protesters in downtown Vancouver

Click to play video: 'Anti-mask rally held in Vancouver'
Anti-mask rally held in Vancouver
A number of people held an anti-mask rally in downtown Vancouver Sunday afternoon. Global News viewer @shadisakr captured a portion of the rally and shared it with Global News. – Aug 9, 2020

A number of people took part in an anti-mask rally in downtown Vancouver Sunday.

Video shared with Global News shows a man at the front of the rally holding a sign saying “I will never wear the mask!!” and telling people watching the protest to “get a more balanced perspective on life.”

Another sign said, “Stop the charade, we know you are lying”, in regards to COVID-19 information from the B.C. government and health officials.

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The crowd was also chanting “no new normal!”

A woman walks by holding a sign that says, “vaccines, choice not force.”

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British Columbia does not require masks in public, but some private businesses do need customers to wear them to enter the premises.

B.C.’s provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said she will not be imposing mandatory mask requirements in public places to help fight COVID-19. She wouldn’t rule the idea out in a situation where B.C. saw a massive surge in community transmission, but that the option is not currently on the table.

Henry has said she continues to “recommend strongly” the use of masks in any situation where people are unable to maintain two metres of physical distance.Non-medical masks do little to protect the person wearing them from COVID-19 but can play an important role in helping stop the spread of the virus, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.Vancouver police officers did accompany the rally Sunday afternoon. Sgt. Aaron Roed said the protest lasted about two hours and there were no incidents.-with files from Simon Little and Richard Zussman

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