Provincial Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau wants to see the mask mandate reinstated in indoor public spaces in B.C. to protect the province91裸聊视频檚 children during the respiratory illnesses season.
Furstenau made the statement after significant increases in pediatric hospital wait times and school absences in B.C. due to respiratory illnesses among children.
91裸聊视频淎fter two and a half challenging years, parents are now facing the terrifying prospect of not being able to access healthcare for their sick kids,91裸聊视频� Furstenau said.
91裸聊视频淲e are all exhausted, we all want the pandemic to be behind us, but when it comes to children we have a responsibility to do everything we can to protect them.91裸聊视频�
Furstenau said it91裸聊视频檚 well known know that masks help both with preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
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She said children and teachers are used to wearing masks, and if there is even a small chance B.C. can stop the scary situation in Ontario 91裸聊视频� where a combination of flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 are putting tremendous stress on its under-staffed hospitals 91裸聊视频� from playing out here, the province should take it.
91裸聊视频淎t this stage in the pandemic, public health measures are a political decision and I urge our incoming premier [David Eby] to recognize the urgency of this situation and reinstate a mask mandate in indoor public spaces to protect our kids,91裸聊视频� Furstenau said.
Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, clinical professor of surgery at UBC91裸聊视频檚 School of Medicine and pediatric cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at B.C. Children91裸聊视频檚 Hospital, also said reintroducing mandatory mask mandates in indoor public spaces may be a good idea.
He said pediatric hospital emergency rooms and inpatient capacity is currently precarious in B.C.91裸聊视频檚 hospitals due to the convergence of multiple respiratory pathogens and altered population immunity which has resulted in a significant increase in viral infections in children across B.C. and Canada.
Gandhi said the province must do whatever is necessary now to deal with the issue.
91裸聊视频淩equiring, not suggesting, masking in indoor public settings, schools, and on mass transit and deploying effective technologies to improve indoor air quality are necessary public health measures essential to protect our children and help those that care for them,91裸聊视频� he said.
But Bonnie Henry, B.C.91裸聊视频檚 provincial health officer, said on Nov. 16 that the province has no plans to re-introduce a mask mandate in the near future, and would likely only consider one if a new virus suddenly emerges.
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Henry said while masks were a vital tool at this time last year, mandating them is not necessary this time around.
This, she said, is largely due to a higher degree of immunity among people aged five and older and the introduction of a vaccine for those under age five.
91裸聊视频淲e are in a different situation now,91裸聊视频� Henry said.
91裸聊视频淚 do not believe we need the heavy hand of a mandate to send the message that masks are an important tool that we can use at this time.91裸聊视频�
Henry said she hopes individuals choose to wear masks during higher-risk situations, such as in crowded spaces, when they91裸聊视频檙e feeling unwell, or when their child is sick.
91裸聊视频擶ith files from Jane Skrypnek, Black Press
robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
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