Restore masks to healthcare

We need masks in healthcare.

This form lets you email DOZENS of BC decision-makers at once! Enter your address to help find your local representative; then scroll past the list of recipients, review the wording and subject line, and send!

(If you have capacity, we encourage you to tweak the subject line or email wording to make it more personal, but this is optional.)

Note: the “Action Network” tool requires a return address so that the system can find your MLA. If you prefer not to enter your address, you also can use our template wording to email policy-makers yourself.

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Closeup of two dark skinned hands holding a respirator, in front of the person's blue hospital gown. The background is gradient orange

On April 8, 2024, BC abruptly dropped healthcare mask requirements, ignoring calls from medical professionals, BC’s Human Rights Commissioner, and over 18,000 messages from vulnerable British Columbians. Policy-makers claimed this downgrade was due to the end of “respiratory illness season”. However, NACI stated that COVID is not regarded as seasonal, and so far healthcare mask requirements have not been restored this fall.

Since dropping healthcare mask protections, BC has endured multiple outbreaks in medical settings. As we enter fall and winter, we’re also facing significant COVID spread, a rise in “walking pneumonia”, local measles warnings, and Canada’s first human case of H5 avian influenza – which health officials warn could potentially turn into another pandemic.

We need healthcare mask protections now!

We urge policy-makers to immediately reinstate mask requirements for all healthcare workers, contractors, patients, volunteers, and visitors. There is no acceptable level of avoidable infection in medical settings. BC policy-makers acknowledged in 2023 that healthcare mask requirements are essential to “slow down and decrease / minimize the impact of these viruses on ourselves, on our communities, and on our healthcare system.” With avian influenza, we have seen the risks from even a single case, where over 30 healthcare workers were exposed to an airborne illness.

Healthcare settings in places like Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador have already restored mask requirements, and BC must follow suit without delay. In addition, we call on BC policy-makers to:

include patients in universal healthcare mask protections (with reasonable exceptions);
improve airborne precautions with wider use of N95-style respirators, as the only masks rated to protect against airborne illnesses like COVID-19, measles, or avian influenza;
require masks in private and community healthcare settings like doctor’s offices and medical labs as well.

Learn more about why this matters.

Let’s get LOUD.

We brought back masks before, and we can do it again! After you’ve sent some emails, be sure to take the next steps:

An olive-skinned person in a yellow sweater and an N95 is speaking on the phone

1. Leave a message

Use our short phone script and leave a message for your MLA and other policy-makers.

GET PHONE SCRIPT

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2. Send a fax

Use our template letter to send free faxes online. It’s like an email they can’t delete.

SEND FREE FAX

closeup of colourful DoNoHarm BC postcards featuring slogans like Clean the Air and Be Kind: Protect the Vulnerable

3. Send postcards

Send our printable postcards (after the postal strike) – mail to MLAs and Ministers is free!

FREE POSTCARD ART

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4. Meet your MLA

Request a meeting or phone call with your MLA. Use our talking points or share people’s stories!

MLA CONTACT INFO

More on why this matters

Patient safety: Gaps in infection control put patients at greater risk, particularly in high-risk settings like ERs, cancer centres and long-term care. Hospital-acquired COVID-19 is at least 70 times more deadly than COVID contracted in the community. Since healthcare masking was dropped there have been multiple COVID outbreaks in healthcare, while Canada’s first H5N1 avian flu hospitalization and surging measles cases worldwide underscore the rising risks posed by other communicable diseases.
Worker safety: The healthcare sector has the highest rates of WorkSafeBC claims for COVID. Dozens of healthcare workers were exposed to H5N1 from a single case. We can’t afford to lose more staff – temporarily to acute illness, or long-term to Long COVID.
Accessibility: Multiple polls show 85–91% of respondents must delay healthcare due to lack of COVID safety. This year, British Columbians have sent over 33,000 messages so far calling for masks back in healthcare – a particularly pressing need for Indigenous, racialized, disabled, 2SLBTQIA+ and lower-income communities, who are disproportionately harmed by COVID and Long COVID.
Year-round protection: BC’s spring vaccination campaign underscores the risks COVID poses year round, particularly to the most vulnerable. Since it bears repeating: NACI states that “seasonality of SARS-CoV-2 has not been established.”
A necessary layer: While vaccination is essential, it doesn’t fully prevent infections or long-term health impacts – plus, it’s less effective for many immunocompromised people. Nearly 60% of COVID cases spread asymptomatically, so symptom checks alone can’t catch all infectious people. PHSA’s own infection control policies state that N95s should be used for confirmed or suspected airborne illnesses.
Protecting our healthcare system: BC faces a healthcare crisis, and healthcare-acquired infections can cause surgical delays, prolonged hospitalization and other interruptions of care. Skyrocketing rates of Long COVID also contribute to healthcare demand.
Evidence-based support: Masks are a low-cost, high-impact safety tool. A recent cohort study found resumption of staff masking was associated with a 33% decrease in hospital-onset respiratory viral infections. A study on SARS-CoV-1 co-authored by BC’s current Provincial Health Officer found that “Consistently wearing a mask… was protective for the nurses” while noting that “[r]isk was lower with consistent use of a N95 mask than with consistent use of a surgical mask.”

“If there is one space that all vulnerable people should be able to rely on to prioritize their safety, it is in healthcare settings, including long term care facilities…removal of universal masking directives in healthcare settings does not uphold a human rights centred approach to public health.”
BC Human Rights Commissioner, April 3, 2023

READ FIRSTHAND STORIES
from affected British Columbians

Further resources for journalists here.

Past versions

Looking for the previous iteration of our campaign to restore masks in healthcare? Find it here.

An orange graphic with the DoNoHarm BC logo and a title reading, Vulnerability isn’t Seasonal 2.0 Below is the hashtag #KeepMasksInHealthcare. To the right is a photo of a white N95 mask with yellow straps. A black footer has the tagline, Let’s get loud, followed by the URL www.DoNoHarmBC.ca and a QR code.

Looking for the previous version of first ‘Vulnerability Isn’t Seasonal’ campaign? Find it here.

Two adults in N95 masks against a light blue background, one with long dark hair, assisting an elder with white hair using a walker. Black text reads, Vulnerability Isn't Seasonal. #KeepMasksInHealthcare. Share your thoughts by April 1. www.DoNoHarmBC.ca — Two adults in N95 masks against a light blue background, one with long dark hair, assisting an elder with white hair using a walker. Black text reads, Vulnerability Isn’t Seasonal. #KeepMasksInHealthcare. Share your thoughts by April 1. www.DoNoHarmBC.ca

About Us

We’re a non-partisan action group of British Columbians advocating for evidence-based safety measures in high-risk settings.

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