With COVID-19 cases continuing to drop and B.C.’s restart plan now in Phase 3, Whistler’s mayor and council rescinded a policy requiring facemasks in municipal facilities at the July 6 council meeting.
The policy was first brought into effect in October 2020.
Moving forward, the Resort Municipality of Whistler will align with Provincial Health Officer guidelines for mask use.
While masks will no longer be required in buildings like municipal hall or the Meadow Park Sports Centre, other measures brought in to minimize the spread of COVID-19 (like facility bookings at Meadow Park) will remain in place for the time being.
“Changes at [other] facilities, particularly at Meadow Park, are being considered. A phasing plan for returning towards more normalized or traditional structures is being worked on by staff,” said general manager of corporate and community services Ted Battiston.
“So barring any change in where we are with the pandemic, there would be slow, measured steps in the weeks and days ahead as we shift back to more normalized operations, but in the immediate days ahead, there are no changes that are planned at this time.”
As for the return of in-person council meetings at the Maury Young Arts Centre, “planning and logistics are underway and we expect to announce a date soon,” a spokesperson said.