Businesses, epidemiologist express concerns over Manitoba lifting mask mandate
Come Saturday, Manitoba will no longer be required to wear a mask in an indoor public setting, which has some concerned about the message being sent.
The change is part of the province's updated health orders, changed to reflect rising vaccination rates, with the mask mandate changing to a "recommendation."
"Public health will no longer require mask use under the public health orders," Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said Tuesday.
Mask use will still be recommended for Manitobans who are not fully vaccinated and children under the age of twelve, who are not currently eligible for vaccination. Masks will also continue to be required during entry and while in health-care facilities, including hospitals and personal care homes, the province said. Medical masks will be provided by the facility.
Epidemiologist Cynthia Carr is concerned over the message the province is sending by lifting the mask mandate.
"When you're given an option to wear or not wear a mask, it certainly does imply that there isn't much risk to not wearing a mask, or else it wouldn't be an option," she said.
Not wearing a mask certainly poses a public health risk, said Carr, especially since the highly contagious Delta variant is now circulating in Manitoba.
"My preference would be that (masks) would be the last layer of protection removed," she said, adding that not requiring masks indoors poses risks for young unvaccinated children when school resumes.
Businesses can still require customers to wear masks, which will be the case at Unique Bunny on Osborne Street, one of the first Winnipeg businesses to implement an in-store mask policy last year.
"We have a responsibility to protect our employees and their families,” said Kazumi Yoshino, assistant manager at Unique Bunny.
"Maybe some of our customers will reject to wear a mask indoors," she said. "We just can't."
Based on conversations with business owners and operators, The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce expects most businesses will maintain a mask-wearing policy for their employee's safety, but also to ensure customers feel comfortable walking around inside.
"I think if you just decide on Saturday, 'We don't have to wear masks anymore, no rules,' I don't think you're going to have a business a lot of people are going to feel comfortable going into," said Chuck Davidson, CEO for the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce.
Davidson said lifting restrictions on retail and most other business sectors is a positive development, but, he said, removing a mask mandate could make some Manitobans less likely to head to a store or restaurant.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.