It was good to hear that the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) decided, with some exceptions, to make masks mandatory in municipal buildings. I have been disappointed with lack of pandemic protocols in some Whistler shops and stores.
My shopping experiences are somewhat limited to a few places. My local bike shop, Coastal Culture, has a good setup: masks required, disposable masks and hand sanitizer available at the front door, and limited customer numbers.
A village ski shop, where I did some Turkey Sale shopping, was equally as good. But other Whistler stores, including a grocery store, are not so good, with no policy requiring masks and no hand sanitizer at the front door.
Surprisingly, the pharmacy where we went for our flu shots had no policy requiring the wearing of masks. There were several customers wandering around without masks, crossing our paths, while we were waiting for the injection. And why do the provincial government liquor stores have no policy requiring customers to wear masks?
While almost all of the employees at these stores wear masks, at least half their customers do not. Employers need to require that shoppers wear masks to protect their staff. They are in a small, indoor space for hours at a time.
Almost all medical scientists, epidemiologists, and national medical authorities now say, because there is a growing body of scientific evidence, that masks will help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Dr. Robert R. Redfield, Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States said: “We are not defenceless against COVID-19. Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus—particularly when used universally within a community setting.”
Unfortunately, it seems that most Americans are not following his advice. Our provincial government has had a muddled mask policy, “Wear masks when it is appropriate,” but that has changed. [B.C.’s Provincial Health Officer] Dr. Bonnie Henry recently stated, “It is now the expectation that people will wear a non-medical mask in public spaces.”
As B.C. cases surge, it’s time to make masks mandatory in all indoor settings (unless you are home) with some exceptions for eating, drinking, and exercising. In the meantime, let’s lead the way in Whistler, wear masks to protect each other, shop where the stores have good pandemic protocols.
Hopefully, we’ll avoid having to close down the resort and town once again, but much more importantly, we can save lives.
John Konig // Whistler
