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This bird be like, wear your damn mask human, there is a pandemic. :rofl:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AnimalsBein...mals_know_you/

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Interesting because today my wife had bloods to get done. Of course they are lined up outside and its cold and starting to rain, really feel for those elderly patients who were having to stand outside its not a great way to handle the elderly anyhow yes apparently you now have to wear a medical mask they give you yet 3 days ago she was at doctors office and not only were people wearing their own masks, no mention of specific ones, our doctor apparently comes into the room wearing a cloth mask that looked home made. Seems that these new rules are not being followed across the board.

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Do the labs here have online check in? I haven't been to a lab here yet. In Vancouver, just checked in, and they told you how long a wait and you just went to the lab then, little to no wait once there.

Standing outside in winter specially isn't really acceptable in my view. Some differences between here and Vancouver that's for sure.

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I am now wearing a three layer mask all through my working day now, and I don’t find it irksome. One thing I do like is that I pop a bit of essential lavender oil on a bit of tissue in the filter bit, just a drop, and it adds a pleasant and calm feeling all the day. We have no idea where this thing might be going...anything that makes it better is good.

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Last time i was at the one in Lower Mission there were leaflets they had that advertised booking a slot i think online and avoiding the line up but i haven't tried that and obviously won't help the elderly who may not have internet but i would think it could be done on phone. Not sure how it works as you would have to turn up and jump the line and then be let inside what may be an already full waiting area. The hospital is a better bet as the line up is inside but it's often very very slow in there. Would really help if local doctors surgeries had someone able to do bloods.

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Quite an interesting 7 minute video.

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I just ordered one of these, can't be too careful these days :lol:

https://www.vyzrtech.com/products/bio-vyzr

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Well it is interesting, would be good in forest fire season too it seems. :lol:

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Kevin went to Costco without a mask and got himself nicked.

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/arrest-a...mask-1.5198662

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Reading comments on a local Kelowna group and wow so many anti mask conspiracy types.

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I saw the item about harassment at the coffee shop; too bad no video of the bad guys. I wonder how many are cross-over protestors who come out for multiple causes? Because Kelowna has enough anti-abortion protestors to hold regular roadside demonstrations, I wonder if many of them think Jesus is going to protect them from the virus, as an excuse not to mask up? Last week when some yahoos in Regina held an anti-mask protest on the sidewalk near the legislature, a bunch of high-school students decided on their own to hold a counter-protest just down from them with signs promoting masks and distancing. They made the anti-maskers look pretty silly.

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Could be. It's known some of the protests in Vancouver are paid professionals, they just go where they are sent, handed a sign and stand there to make it look more impressive. But the anti-mask types in Vancouver seem to be consistently the same people, it's pretty small protests usually and they keep making the news for doing stupid things.

Since coming to Kelowna, I have seen anti-abortion protests, anti-mask, anti-covid in general protests claiming conspiracy and the government wanting to destroy humanity, and of course 5G causing it, there was a protest involving South Africa, and one protest I couldn't figure out what they were protesting because their signs made no comprehensible sense.

One lady posted a video her 20 something friend made in hospital fighting COVID, and the anti-covid types concern was why did she have make up on in part of the video, claiming it was faked. The girl lost her baby as she miscarried due to being so ill, and has severe permanent lung damage.

The insanity of these people boggles the mind.

I knew Kelowna would be more conservative, but holy they make Chilliwack look sane, and Chilliwack is pretty wacky conservative too, although they did lead NDP this last provincial election so maybe things are changing in the wack.

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Ha ha welcome to Kelownafornia where we spend our time driving jacked up trucks, smoking weed and wearing sunnies and flip flops even in November. The virus doesn't exist if you are holding a piece of cardboard with some badly written slogan on it. On the plus side the Bay is still open here and the protestor numbers are only just in double digits. :hysterical:

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My wife is at the doctor right now (her GP) and none of the people working there are wearing masks, not even the doctor and the person at the front desk is apparently coughing like crazy.

Doesn't give you confidence in a doctor when they can't even follow the basic rules regarding masks.

I guess her not taking me as a patient wasn't such a bad thing....:rofl:

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That's wild! We seem to be taking it fairly seriously here from what I've seen.

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I went to my doc about the shingles. SD had her flu shot there.
Door locked. Only people with appointments allowed in. Everyone masked up.

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What happened to the mandate that the health authority came up with before the province mandated it? Aren't ALL medical facilities supposed to be requiring medical masks?
This has been my problem with these "requirements" or "expectations" and now even "mandates" unless everyone is on the same page and its enforced its just another gong show.
We were at a local downtown coffee place yesterday. The owner was actually wearing one (round his chin) and the staff were too which they hadn't been up to now. More than one person came in without one and nothing was said then the staff member takes hers off to answer phone and serves the next 3 people without it on. :lol:

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We see people waiting to go inside at the doctors, dentist, vet, optician etc...been like this since March,

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They are supposed to, but reality is often different as you know.

Apparently the mask mandate came down from the BC Solicitor general and not Dr Henry who has never been keen on mandated mask use because it's impossible to enforce, she knows that, we know that. The police don't even seem to want to enforce it, and I wonder if all police officers are even wearing them, how can police justify enforce a mandate if the officers themselves are not wearing masks, a bit hypocritical really.

Those who were going to wear masks were going to with or without a mandate, the mandate just really brings out the conspiracy nuts in full force.

My MIL is talking about her Tai Chi group, all seniors, they are not cancelling their Tai Chi meetups even though they are supposed to.



.

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Pretty much how the veterinarian's office was like.

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We don't see so much waiting outside at present except for Fabricland which for some reason is always busy with a line outside. Anyhow what strikes me is the difference in how some places deal with it. My wifes respiratory consultant who she sees about 3 or 4 times a year hasn't seen her "in office" since beginning of year, all appointments are via computer. Same goes for her Neurologist who cancelled scheduled yearly appointment in favour of virtual one. The bank wouldn't see my son in person when he wanted to discuss personal loans and stuff they offered phone call service yet another bank was able to see him in person.
To me the most ridiculous thing about all this is that these types of face to face appointments are extremely important for some and to make it seem even more stupid we could, in theory, meet anyone of them in the coffee shop for a pastry and a natter and without wearing a mask yet we cannot meet them in office whilst wearing a mask.

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Since March, I have had two phone consults with my pulmonologist and one with a general surgeon. If necessary I could have had a face to face meeting.

Some shops have people waiting outside to go in. Now in Toronto, all shops (except essential services), gyms, beauty parlors are closed for at least 28 days.

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It is a bit odd some of the randomness of restrictions. I haven't encountered lines to get into any store since like April or May when we were still in Vancouver. Petsmart yesterday was so crowded, I walked in and basically back out as there was no way to maintain any distance, Wal-Mart in Kelowna was pretty bad too, (mental note stick to west kelowna location) apparently school and daycare are A-Okay but church service isn't, it's so haphazard really, I did notice the line at West Kelowna fabricland, I think its the first line to get into a store I have seen here so far....lol


Value Village in Kelowna, a 41 year old woman refused to wear a mask, police were called as she was asked to leave and was trespassing at that point, she got belligerent police as well. She was placed in custody for a short time, released with a promise to appear in court, RCMP have forwarded the case to BC Prosecution Service for review for possible charges, seems at minimum causing a disturbance, obstruction of police, and possible assault on police as she apparently assaulted 3 officers.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7480148/k...value-village/


This one in Penticton, a 60 something female, spit on a liquor store employee, presumably the employee asked her to wear a mask.

https://globalnews.ca/news/7479213/a...cton-employee/

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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...04893d405.jpeg

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https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...0e072364a4.jpg

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Anti-maskers in the USA were out again on the weekend. God damn these people are annoying.

Twitter link below.

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I don't understand people who have an issue with masks. It is not a big deal, SO LONG as once this is finally over they remove requirements for them in all but the most high risk places. It's just a piece of fabric.

And this is coming from someone who is completely against the current (and impending) increased restrictions on gatherings and businesses. If everyone properly social distanced and wore masks when in public, capacity limits strictly enforced at stores and restaurants, etc, I don't think we would have as many things closed and our economy in ruins.

Many countries in Europe have made masks mandatory even outdoors, I don't see why they shouldn't do it in Ontario with our numbers. It would get people in the habit of just putting it on before they leave the house, and maybe keeping it on when gathering with friends/family.

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:goodpost:
I agree.

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I think it depends on what you do. I hate the things but if i have to wear it to shop or use facilities so be it. However we are all being forced into wearing them during working day and depending on what you do it is not pleasant. I can sit in a doctors office for 20 minutes or stroll slowly round Walmart but my work involves going in and out of peoples homes, up and down stairs, bending, stretching, putting on glasses for close up work, it's manual work and after a few minutes i am sweating inside the mask. I have tried everything from the expensive sports masks to thin cotton ones and nothing makes it any better and we are in winter right now god knows what it is going to be like in warmer weather. They made them compulsory outside in Spain way back and also France in some areas yet i don't remember seeing any drastic drop in figures. I already see some people wearing them outside when walking on completely empty streets which seems pointless to me.

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That's a fair point about numbers not decreasing. One has to remember alot of this is about optics (see Doug Ford's useless SAH order) rather then actually accomplishing anything. If they wanted to accomplish something "they" (ie the gov't) would either

a. Lift all restrictions and what will be will be
b. Have a 30 day strict lockdown where no one can leave their homes at all - this should have been done in March/Apr 2020 when the public appetite for it would have been stronger.

I'd rather have to wear a mask and still be able to go about my daily business then have a stay at home order that inhibits anything i'd want to do whilst simultaneously not bringing virus numbers down, therefore just being a useless inconvenience.

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I was actually quite shocked at the recent days news from UK about supermarkets saying they will start enforcing masks and refusing service. But wait, haven't they had a mandate since summer for ALL indoor retail stores? It would seem by this latest news that many many people were not following the guidance and likewise many stores were not willing or able to enforce it. If this was/is such a huge problem it would seem that they should have started to get strict a long time ago long before the recent massive increase in numbers.
I've never thought that masks are the definitive answer and often wondered why we rate them so much when we see numbers increasing in countries that have mandates, however maybe its the lack of enforcement and people not following the rules that accounts for that. I don't know but i do know that i never see anyone here in BC without a mask while inside premises unless seated for eating/drinking.

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Masks are an easy win as you can literally see how they are effective. Put one on, then light a match and try to blow it out. Or just put your hand in front of the mask like you are the big bad wolf trying to blow the house down. Then do it with the mask off.

Double points to the 3 layered ones with a filter that can potentially prevent you from inhaling the virus.

Nothing is a guarantee though. My only caveat is i'd like there to be a point in the future where masks aren't required absolutely everywhere. Though I think there will probably always be "flare ups" where they are required...whether we like it or not there is a possibility we will be stuck with them in some form forever.

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Extra useful in the winter to keep your cheeks warm and to warm the air before you inhale.

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I'm in the UK and haven't seen these reports? Basically, all UK supermarkets require masks to be worn, obviously certain people are exempt but in my personal experience they tend to avoid any contact at all. I'd say that mask compliance is pretty much 100% and has been for many months.

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From BBC news 6 days ago

Several supermarkets across the UK have said they will make face coverings compulsory.

Tesco, Asda and Waitrose are the latest chains to say they will deny entry to shoppers who do not wear face masks unless they are exempt.

It follows a similar move by Morrisons, while Sainsbury's says it will also challenge those who flout the rules.

So what protection do masks offer, and what sort can be worn?
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51205344

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Now the weather has turned cold I am finding the masks get awfully wet when walking. I have a plastic guard that fits between the mask and my face. It’s not ideal but slightly better than the wet mask against my face.

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Yep I was out walking with a friend a while ago and we were all wearing masks, mine was soaked after 25min. Only thing I can think of is to keep extra masks in my pocket and change them. Its not often i'm in an outdoor situation where I need to keep my mask on for very long, I was moreso wearing it for the peace of mind of my friend.

Since then i've gotten to the point in my seasonal/pandemic depression where I just burrow inside and refuse to go out as its too cold, so I haven't had this issue as of late :lol:

I am normally very close to an overseas vacation at this point in the winter :yield:

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Lockdown/Covid is getting to me too...it has been almost 11 months in the GTA. Normally I would have been on a 1 month cruise before Christmas and another right now, plus a few other holidays in the sun in between. Today has been lovely. Started off -10C on the thermometer outside, but the sun was shining and the sky was blue. Soon the temp was up to 20C in the sun. We decided to come downtown and was surprised to see the Harbourfront was busy as it’s been in the summer. People outside, wearing masks, enjoying the sunshine,

It is a little disappointing to hear that friends/family in the UK and US have either got the vaccine or will in the next few weeks, while we have no prospects at all for the coming months. I live in hope and prefer to look on the bright side, instead of the dark side. :fingerscrossed:

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Yep it was a nice day here too... actually got to put my sunglasses on :)

For the areas where your friends/fam are in UK/US, are the restrictions starting to lift due to more people getting the vaccine and therefore less cases/mortality?

I could probably have the vaccine in Malta by June or July. With the dismal rollout here it is very tempting for me to go there for a semblance of normal life, but it would be a big undertaking for me at the moment to suddenly "flee the nest" and live on my own. I don't think my grandparents are at an age and health condition that they could handle a 22 year old grandson with an active social and work life living with them.

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IMO people in the UK have not taken the restrictions as seriously as we have.

Something to think about: I know you would like to see your grandparents, but what if you were in Malta and received bad news from home? Would you be able to jump on a plane and be with them at a moments notice? I have been in the position where I have not been able to jump on a plane to the UK that day to be with a loved one. Think about what your grandparents would want. I do not believe they would want you to put yourself in that position, or at risk from contracting the virus whilst travelling. Think about what they want vs what you want. ;)