BC currently requires masks in government-run medical settings, but has signaled they plan to drop these protections this spring. Past removal of mask rules drew heavy criticism from patients, doctors, researchers, and BC’s Human Rights Commissioner, and masks have been restored twice so far in two years. 

Inconsistent mask requirements mean inconsistent safety. Vulnerability isn’t seasonal, and both patients and frontline workers need a reliable baseline of safety – not policies that shift with the weather. Contagious illnesses remain a risk throughout the year, particularly in settings full of sick people. Constantly shifting rules also lead to confusion, with reports that hospitals fail to follow and enforce changing requirements, and experts criticizing late, ineffective implementation.

This spring, we call on BC policy-makers to keep and strengthen healthcare mask protections with these practical steps:

1. Maintain healthcare mask requirements year-round. Prevention should be proactive, not reactive, especially as COVID-19 has increased over the summer months for three years straight. We’re also seeing an atypical late-season increase in influenza and a surge in measles, alongside other illnesses like norovirus, RSV, and potentially H5N1. 
   
2. Provide clear direction to all health authorities on concrete steps to enact mask requirements. This includes requiring hospital admin to direct managers on implementation; posting signage; making masks available; and designating staff members responsible for informing and monitoring staff, visitors, and patients. 
   
3. Increase usage of N95-equivalent masks or better (a.k.a. respirators), which provide superior protection as the only masks rated to properly protect against airborne illnesses.  Clearly communicate the federal and international scientific consensus that COVID-19 is airborne, and use appropriate respiratory protection. Follow the European model in making N95-equivalent masks a default choice for high-risk settings, and ensure all who wish to wear a respirator (or request it of their healthcare providers) can do so.
   
4. Close gaps in existing rules. This includes requiring patients to mask (with reasonable exceptions and accommodations) and providing N95-equivalent masks for potential airborne illnesses; ensuring mask coverage in shared locations where patients must be, including foyers and hallways (where patients often need to wait); and directing private healthcare settings to meet the same minimum mask requirements as government-run facilities. 

Learn more about why this matters.