As of March 11, 2022, face masks have been optional in most indoor spaces in British Columbia, like Canucks games, grocery stores, and on public transit, regardless of anyone's vaccination status - though for some events and venues, the BC Vaccine Card requirement for entry remains in place.
However, in the days since the mask mandate lifted, Vancouverites may have noticed that not everyone ditched their masks, from restaurant staff and patrons to inside salons and stores. Many Vancouver residents have opted to continue wearing their face masks for a variety of reasons, including comfort levels, respect for those in the shared environment, or their own health concerns.
When news broke March 10 that B.C. public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry was lifting the mask mandate the following day, V.I.A. asked readers "Do you agree with B.C. ending the mask mandate March 11?"
While over 900 people took the poll, 405 respondents were located in Vancouver, and of those locals, a slight majority (45.93%) indicated they agreed with the end of the face mask mandate in the province.
However, 39.26% said they did not agree, and 13.09% indicated they were unsure.
Among those still preferring to put on a face mask these days: B.C. Premier John Horgan.
For her part, Dr. Henry said last week she may also opt to don her mask in some settings. "It's a sign of respect," the PHO said of the choice.
While many British Columbians have expressed concern about how soon the province is lifting restrictions Henry also underscored that people need to take an "empowered self-management approach" as the rules are lifted.
Students at B.C. K-12 schools will also find masks optional when they return from spring break, though the timeline may vary district to district.
The B.C. "vaccine passport" (BC Vaccine Card) program is slated to come to an end at 12:01 a.m. on April 8.
Full poll results
Vancouver Is Awesome polled 902 Vancouver Is Awesome readers and asked the question: Do you agree with B.C. ending the mask mandate March 11?
The poll ran from 3/10/2022 to 3/15/2022. Of the 902 votes, we can determine that 405 are from within the community. The full results are as follows:
Results are based on an online study of adult Vancouver Is Awesome readers that are located in Vancouver. The margin of error - which measures sample variability - is +/- 3.26%, 19 times out of 20.
Vancouver Is Awesome uses a variety of techniques to capture data, detect and prevent fraudulent votes, detect and prevent robots, and filter out non-local and duplicate votes.
With files from Elana Shepert
