british columbia’s top doctor says masks should be worn in crowded public places, the same as the recommendation by her counterpart in quebec, which, like elsewhere in canada, is facing the threat of a “spicy cocktail”of respiratory viruses.
dr. bonnie henry said wednesday that health-care settings and crowded buses are examples of places where it makes sense to wear a mask, but schools are not high-transmission environments, so masks are not needed there.
it’s hard to tell the difference between various respiratory illnesses that are circulating because symptoms can be similar, so people should wear a mask even at home if they’re sick to protect children or others who are vulnerable, she said.
quebec public health director dr. luc boileau also stopped short of recommending masks in schools and daycares.
a mask mandate was off the table for both henry and boileau.
henry said 90 per cent of people in b.c. have some immunity to covid-19 through vaccination, infection or both, and cases of the virus have declined, along with hospitalizations, even among elderly people over 80, who are most vulnerable, henry said.
“i do not believe we need the heavy hand of a mandate to send a clear message that masks are an important tool that we can all use during this time and in every respiratory season. we should have one with us, we should use it in situations where it makes sense,” she said.
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