'Simply not acceptable': Kelowna businesses react to 'surprise' mask mandate in parts of B.C. Interior

Mask sign seen inside a business. (Shutterstock)

Vancouver -

The B.C. chamber representing businesses in the Kelowna area says it was not consulted before a mask mandate aimed at reducing COVID-19 transmission was reinstated in the region.

Officials announced new measures for the Central Okanagan Wednesday as COVID-19 infections have risen in the area. 

Dr. Sue Pollock, chief medical health officer for the Interior Health Authority, told CTV News 323 cases were identified in the Central Okanagan since the start of the month, and that 97 per cent of those infected were either partially vaccinated or not vaccinated.

As a result, a mask mandate was reissued for all public indoor spaces for Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland and Lake Country.

"We can appreciate that with rising cases of infection in the area that reinstating a mask mandate is warranted but the surprise announcement with absolutely no advance consultation with our organization or the business community is simply not acceptable,” said Dan Rogers, executive director of the Kelowna Chamber, in a news release after the announcement.

“Businesses are frustrated and tired of trying to keep track of what’s required of them when changes are frequent and occasionally appear arbitrary."

Rogers said the chamber had "pushed" for regional rules "a long time ago."

“Now when things are a concern in one small area in the Interior, the B.C. government doesn’t seem to have a problem with regional-based restrictions," Rogers said.

Provincial health officials had previously said that rules would be applied across the board, but that policy changed recently, when B.C. entered Step 3 of its restart plan.

"As we move out of the pandemic, we no longer need to take broad sector, societal, provincial measures to try and stem the transmission of this virus," Dr. Bonnie Henry explained Wednesday. "But we still need to take some measures in those areas where we're seeing high levels of transmission."

It doesn't appear the chamber has an issue with the mask mandate itself, however, saying it may reduce conflicts some businesses had faced with customers.

"The increased case rate is a concern and threatens to dim the light at the end of the tunnel,” Rogers said. "It is a good reminder that the pandemic virus is still out there, and we still need to be diligent in how we operate, and the government needs to do more to encourage those who haven’t been vaccinated to pick up the pace."

But the chamber did seem to take issue with the province's recommendation that people avoid non-essential travel into and out of the Kelowna region if they're not fully vaccinated, saying it's encouraging health authorities "to focus their efforts more on 'how people behave' rather than where they're from."

The mask mandate went into effect at midnight Thursday. Bars, restaurants, gyms, casinos and nightclubs are all allowed to remain open, but must have safety measures in place including mandatory masks and not allowing guests to socialize between tables.

Officials are also recommending that gatherings – especially large ones – be held outdoors instead of indoors.