BC went into Stage 3 on July 1, which means the mask mandate has been lifted for over a week now (Ontario friends, be jealous). It seems like all the restrictions have been lifted, as indoor dining is fully allowed and gathering limits have increased.
The night before, I overheard a conversation where someone said “Tomorrow is mask-burning day!” In contrast to that, I read a tweet the other day that said “To me, not wearing a mask is not an end game I care about. I’ll wear one until science says no.”
I’m here to say, it’s definitely taking some getting used to how things used to be. We’ve been so used to wearing masks EVERYWHERE we go, keeping away from people, forming bubbles, that all of a sudden, not wearing a mask and doing normal things actually doesn’t feel right – although, you could see some people wasted absolutely no time in finally following government rules (ones they strongly agree with).
BC has handled things differently (better) than Ontario, so a lot of these lifted restrictions aren’t as uncomfortable. But, after the first few times of not wearing a mask indoors (there’s only been a couple of times), the comfort started to grow. I have to be honest and say that it’s nice not really thinking about it as much as I did. If I don’t have a mask, I’m not all that worried, but I still make sure there are masks in the car or something where I can get one easily if needed.
I am happy to say that I see more people continuing to wear masks than not. I take it as the collective caring enough to think about the health of everyone around them instead of proving a point. They still follow the COVID guidelines about keeping distance and not getting too close. Some businesses are still making mandatory mask policies individually, which I think people need to respect. But I know that’s not always the case, it could just very well be people are that comfortable or just didn’t have a mask with them.
My main point though is that it’s important to recognize everyone has different levels of comfort. If you have your shots, great! Not everyone does. Those of you eager to get back to normal, good for you. Not everyone will be ready to let go of the habits they’ve formed over the last year and a half. If you’re still feeling hesitant, it’s all good. Take your time.
Whether or not BC or any other province should be opening up again while variants are still out there is not my concern here. I’m not a health expert or a policy maker. However, I recall an infectious disease specialist telling me once that good governance means providing some leeway, and I’m not going to argue against that, because damn, it feels good to know we’re getting closer to the end of this thing.
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