Despite BC scrapping its face mask mandate, masks are still required for those travelling into and from Victoria International Airport (YYJ).
“Federal mask requirements continue to be in effect at YYJ,” the Airport Authority said Friday, March 11th, the same day BC’s mask mandate was lifted in indoor public spaces.
“Please be reminded that you still need to wear your mask through security screening, in the departure lounge, to board an aircraft and during flight.”
And while health officials are encouraging people to wear face masks on public transit and BC Ferries, they’re no longer required.
“We understand this impacts all riders and support anyone who still wishes to wear a mask. We ask for your continued kindness towards one another as this change takes place,” BC Transit said.
BC Ferries recommends face masks when indoors at terminals and on board ferries, asking its customers to “please respect your fellow passengers and our crews.”
“Comfort levels will vary as restrictions change,” it added.
And it’s a similar story at the University of Victoria (UVic), where face masks are no longer required for students, staff or visitors.
“While mask-wearing will be a matter of personal choice, on campus we strongly encourage you to continue wearing a mask in indoor spaces where you may be in close proximity to others, or anywhere you feel more comfortable to do so,” UVic said.
But it’s a change the university’s acting director of the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, Dr. Damien Contandriopoulos, couldn’t get behind.
“UVic drops its mask mandate… you just showed us what kind of organization you are,” Contandriopoulos wrote Thursday.
Individual businesses and organizations can still choose to continue to require mask-wearing on their premises, according to the BC government.
Over the weekend, BC Premier John Horgan also tweeted that many people would still choose to wear face masks in some settings around others.
“I’ll be one of them,” Horgan wrote. “Let’s respect everyone’s comfort levels and continue to get through this together.”
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