The push is on for Vancouver to become the next Lower Mainland city to require face masks in civic facilities.
Masks4BC — a coalition of doctors, academics and other health-care professionals — has penned a letter to city council urging them to support Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung’s motion for mandatory masks.
“We cannot afford another ‘lockdown’ which leads to devastating effects on individuals and society,” the letter reads.
“We need to act now and focus on improving our use of all basic interventions to reduce both transmission and severity of illness from COVID-19.”
Kirby-Yung’s motion calls for the mandatory use of masks in all civic facilities. Children under the age of five would be exempt, as would people with disabilities and people with underlying medical conditions that may prevent them from wearing masks.
If approved, the motion will go to the Vancouver Park Board, Vancouver Public Library Board, Vancouver Civic Theatres Board and PNE Board for their consideration and encouragement to adopt a mandatory mask policy.
The motion notes that Delta city council has adopted a mandatory mask policy. Richmond city council also recently voted in favour of mandatory masks in civic facilities. TransLink, BC Transit and BC Ferries have implemented a mask policy.
The motion will be introduced Tuesday night. Council will hear speakers and consider it on Thursday.
The issue has taken on new urgency after hundreds of anti-maskers and COVID-19 deniers held a protest in downtown Vancouver over the weekend.
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Many in the crowd espoused myths that wearing a mask is harmful because it causes a person to breathe in carbon dioxide or bacteria or causes cancer.
Doctors say there is no evidence to support those claims.
“We need to give people the information to keep themselves and others safe, educate the public, and provide the tools for them to act based on scientific evidence,” wrote Masks4BC.
“We should not let perfection be the enemy of the good.”
— With files from Simon Little