During her press conference on Tuesday, BC’s top doctor confirmed residents will not be required to wear a mask, for now.
When asked if BC would follow the mask regulations implemented by Washington State last week, Dr. Bonnie Henry asserted she won’t mandate it, but they are encouraged.
“I do wear a mask myself and I encourage and I recommend strongly that others do when you're in those situations, particularly indoor situations, where you can't reliably maintain your distance from others," she said.
“There's no real benefit, that we know of, for wearing a mask outside if you're by yourself or if you're in a car by yourself. So in those situations, it's not needed.”
Toronto has mandated non-medical masks in public spaces, despite seeing an overall decline in daily cases.
On Tuesday, BC reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 and no new deaths related to the virus.
Health officials also announced that one designated visitor will now be permitted at long term and assisted care homes following a ban on visitations implemented in March.
All visitors will be required to wear masks.
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