Appealing to ‘our better nature’ as face masks return

As respiratory infections increase in communities in B.C., the provincial government has announced medical mask wearing will be required by all health-care workers, volunteers, contractors and visitors in patient care areas starting Oct. 3, 2023.

The aim is to increase protections in health-care facilities, especially for those most at risk of COVID-19 and other respiratory illness.

The measures were confirmed at a media briefing Thursday.

Responding to a question about some people’s aversion to wearing a mask, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she figured people would do the right thing.

“I think that most people are reasonable,” she said. “When you go to a health care setting that’s where people are most at risk.

“It’s important, as we have more infections in the community, that we do what we need to do to protect those people at risk of having severe illness, and, frankly, from dying from influenza, from COVID, from RSV.”

Updated vaccines within days

New, updated COVID and flu vaccines start to arrive in B.C. early next month.

Priority populations will be invited to book vaccine appointments.

Invitation for immunization appointments for everyone else will begin on Oct. 10, 2023, and people will be able to receive influenza and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time, if they wish.

"We all know that getting immunized is the best way for us to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the B.C. health-care workers we rely on,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said.

Dr. Henry said nearly everyone in B.C. has antibodies to the COVID-19 virus, either through vaccination or infection but the unvaccinated remained the most at risk population.

Earlier this week, a group of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers issued an open letter calling for universal masking to be brought back to all emergency departments in B.C.