Community Group Masks Up

Shi and Ly have been handing out N95 masks since May

While Hong Kong still continues to insist that people wear masks despite the hot and humid temperatures in the mid 30s, the health authority in British Columbia has been wishy-washy in advising the public.

On the one hand it warns people that the seventh wave is here, but then stops short of insisting on a mask mandate and giving out second boosters unless people are 70 years old and older or immunocompromised.

This has frustrated two people in Vancouver that they have taken matters into their own hands and have started handing out N95 masks to people for free on the street.

Mostly Chinese seniors and families get masks

Jane Shi and Vivian Ly are the organisers of Masks4EastVan, which they started in May, two months after BC lifted mandatory masking requirements in most indoor spaces.

"We're still in the middle of the pandemic. It's not over," Ly said. "We're seeing this kind of dissonance where... cases [are] still going up, but there aren't enough public health measures to fill in those gaps.

"We're left to fill these gaps in ourselves with these kinds of community initiatives."

So far they have handed out 4,000 masks and 250 rapid antigen tests since Masks4EastVan began, to mostly Chinese seniors and families.

Officials say those who choose to wear a mask "should be supported", but it is a personal choice under provincial guidelines.

The community group, which is funded by donations, is also receiving requests from Downtown Eastside residents and long-term care workers.

They want to hand out 12K masks

"We're hoping to distribute 12,000 masks by the end of the year," Shi and Ly said. "What we want is a collective response to this pandemic, not an individual one."

Others have said they are done with Covid-19, but the reality is that it is not done with us.

Anecdotally there are more people that I know who are getting infected, and the best and cheapest way to protect oneself (other than being a hermit) is to wear a mask when interacting with others.

The BC health authorities really need to step up and strongly advise people to wear masks instead of letting them be. While symptoms are mild, it's better to avoid the possibility of long Covid, so why not do that by wearing a mask?