B.C. to change indoor public mask mandate to ages five and up

B.C. is set to change its indoor public mask mandate to include everyone ages five and up.

Set to be officially announced next week, the mandate would align with the COVID mask mandate in schools, requiring everyone from kindergarten and above to wear a mask indoors.

It will include malls, shopping, grocery stores, libraries, community centres, pubs and bars as well as in workplaces where people interact with larger parts of the public.

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More details on the decision and when the order will take effect will be provided during next week’s COVID-19 briefing.

The previous order was for anyone 12 years old and above in the province.

For the purposes of this provincial order, a mask or face covering is defined as a medical or non-medical mask that covers the nose and mouth.

Face shields are not a substitute for a mask.

2:02 Indoor mask mandate now in effect for all B.C. school children

People who cannot wear a mask or who cannot put on or remove a mask without the assistance of others are exempt.

A person may not be able to wear a mask for a psychological, behavioural or health condition, or due to a physical, cognitive or mental impairment.