B.C. will not be requiring masks on public transit as of tonight

We have, unfortunately, not been successful in our call for keeping mandatory mask requirements on public transit and ride-share vehicles at the provincial level.

Today Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that mask mandates in B.C. will lift in all public places tonight (at 12:01 AM on Friday, March 11, 2022), and that public transit will not be subject to a continued public health order requiring masks, unlike in provinces such as Alberta, Ontario and Quebec.

I have nothing to say except that this is an insult to all of us who have been placing ourselves in a higher-risk, higher-transmission setting on a regular basis—especially to those of us who are clinically extremely vulnerable, aged 0-5 who are still ineligible for a vaccine, or otherwise continuously at risk.

At the moment it appears that our only hope for a continued masking requirement will be to turn to our public transit operators (TransLink and B.C. Transit), taxi companies, and ride-share operators, and see if they implement a continued masking requirement outside of a provincial order. I sincerely hope that they have heard us and will make masking required (not just "recommended") on-board their vehicles.

Having contracted COVID myself on the day after launching this petition (and being unable to rule out exposure while riding public transit), I would not recommend going through the same experience. This infection broke through three vaccine doses and has given me a sore throat, fatigue, headaches, muscle soreness, watery eyes, and considerable difficulty sleeping, among other short-term symptoms.

I will keep this petition open as a continuous call for a reinstatement of masking requirements on public transit, and will provide relevant updates such as if COVID case counts in B.C. surge again.

—Daryl