Madison Erhardt
It’s a sight of relief for many.
At a press conference Thursday, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry announced BC’s mask mandate would be lifted as of Friday.
Henry also announced vaccine passport requirements would be lifted as of April 8.
“It is going to be fun not having to enforce it at work. It will be very nice not to have to deal with that,” said a barista at Deville cafe on Bernard Avenue on Thursday.
“It is finally happening. We have been waiting so long and it is finally here,” a passing pedestrian told Castanet.
Beauty Supply sales rep Hannah Lenarcic said she was ready for the mask mandate to lift.
“It is going to be a lot easier for customers to come in and smell products talk one-on-one and smile at each other. I am ready for it.”
Kelowna Chamber of Commerce President Dan Rogers says he is pleased with the announcement.
“We have heard the narrative across the country that there was easing so what was announced today is not totally surprising. We know we are moving in the same direction. I think it is being viewed generally in a positive way. Plus businesses have specific dates where they know masks can come off now and then the proof of vaccination in a couple of weeks.”
British Columbia was one of the last provinces to announce the lifting of restrictions.
“The precautionary approach has been evident in BC for the last two years, but given we are probably the jurisdiction in the country and maybe the world that has the highest vaccination levels you would have thought that some of the restrictions would have been a little bit earlier than they have been, but at least we now have some certainty that businesses can work towards.”
