An oversized postcard is affixed to the window of Adrian Dix's MLA office. Colourful hand-lettered text reads, "Dear Minister Dix: Restore Masks in Healthcare! Covid is Airborne! DoNoHarm BC." In place of a postage stamp is a headshot of Minister Dix wearing a respirator.

 October 3, 2023 (Vancouver, BC) 

As of October 3, 2023, masks are required for all healthcare workers, volunteers, contractors and visitors in the patient-care areas of BC hospitals and long-term care homes.

This is an important advocacy win for everyone who’s worked so hard fighting to protect both vulnerable patients and healthcare workers. We’d like to thank everyone who joined DoNoHarm BC’s #Postcards4PublicHealth campaign and had the courage to share their stories, hold our government accountable, and demand evidence-based public health.

While this policy marks a step in the right direction, there’s still far more to be done. Right now the use of this important safety measure is only confirmed for “the next few months”. And the healthcare mask requirement isn’t universal: most notably, it doesn’t apply to patients (who are often the ones who are contagious), or to private practices. It also doesn’t include respirators like N95s, which are the only masks rated to protect against airborne disease. 

We’d also like to highlight the other demands we’ve made, many of which still await action from our government. British Columbians deserve less restricted Paxlovid access (as in other provinces like Ontario), improved indoor air quality (especially in high-risk settings like schools, which research shows drive transmission), public education about how Covid is airborne and the risks of Long Covid, and more. 

Modelling indicates 1 in 13 British Columbians are currently infected with Covid-19. It’s urgent that our policy makers honour their commitment to do “the best we can do to…slow down and decrease / minimize the impact of these viruses on ourselves, on our communities, and on our healthcare system.”

About DoNoHarm BC

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

Media kit

Media inquiries: DoNoHarmBC@gmail.com

Download our media kit for:

  • our key demands and fact sheet
  • photos and alt text
  • first-person stories and quotes from British Columbians

Follow the story: #DoNoHarmBC #Postcards4PublicHealth #KeepMasksInHealthcare #UnsafeSeptember #CovidIsntOver

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