VANCOUVER -- A national retail industry group is joining the call for British Columbia to make face masks mandatory in indoor public spaces.
The Retail Council of Canada issued a statement Wednesday calling for B.C. to follow the lead of other provinces that have implemented mandatory mask policies, arguing that doing so would improve safety for retail workers and store owners, as well as customers.
"(A mask mandate) will greatly help retail workers and store owners who experience aggressive behaviour from customers not wishing to wear face coverings," the RCC said in its statement. "When customers refuse to wear masks in stores, it puts workers and other consumers at risk."
British Columbia does not currently have a public health order requiring masks to be worn in retail stores or other indoor settings.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has said it is an "expectation" that everyone who can wear a mask will do so. Mask advocates have criticised this position, arguing that such an expectation can't really be created without a mandate.
In an opinion piece released Monday afternoon, Henry described her position in slightly different terms, arguing that masks are already mandated in B.C., in the form of provincial guidance for businesses making COVID-19 safety plans.
"The mandate to use masks appropriately is a cornerstone of businesses' and organizations' COVID-19 safety plans, and is embedded in our health-care facilities' operational policies and restart protocols in other public institutions," the provincial health officer wrote.
"Ordering universal mask use in all situations creates unnecessary challenges with enforcement and stigmatization. We need only look at the COVID-19 transmission rates in other jurisdictions that have tried using such orders to see what little benefit these orders by themselves have served."
For its part, the retail council notes that members have been following the province's existing advice, but argues that advice doesn't go far enough.
