Wonder what the urbanized primates who live in close proximity think about the mask wearing humans, I would venture other primates recognize humans as a primate, poor things are at risk for COVID so hopefully they social distance.

Hehe. I am having trouble with this atm

I hope that everyone here will be throwing out their cloth facial masks and will be upgrading to N95 or FFP2 ?

https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/12/world...-22/index.html

Honestly, when is this crap ever going to end?

Happy "No mask required in BC day"!

Well almost as it seems courts and all public areas inside courts still require them, Kelowna airport still requires them in departures and any areas inside that part, schools have said they will require them until Spring break and the university say they require them until end of April. I can see more confusion and arguments while we have these conflicting rules. Happy to shop today without mine though

All airports are under federal rules, so will require masks until Ottawa removes them

UBC has announced masks will still be required.

Businesses can make up their own minds, and require masks be worn.

Masks are still required in health centres, hospitals, clinics, and care homes.

Personally, I'll continue to carry a mask with me, and wear it on transit or inside if I feel the need to.

Mask mandate is going away in Ontario, but my sense is the majority of the public are still going to be wearing them, even in places where it isn't mandated. I went on a date recently (last week) where the date showed up with a mask on. Selling things on marketplace the buyers always show up to my house with a mask. Even in places where it isn't enforced, people are still wearing them. Personally I think removing the mandate is too soon, if only for the fact that it will be a tough pill to reinstate it if there is another variant. If another variant sweeps in and we don't bring back a mandate fast enough cases could go up to the point of another lockdown. I'd much prefer to mask up then deal with another lockdown especially in the nicer weather.

I haven't 100% made up my mind, but I think I will still be wearing one for a while and see if this lasts.

As many on here know I am quite vocally against lockdowns and the way I see it keeping something as harmless as masking in place seems a small price to pay for further insurance against more draconian lockdowns, the likes of which we saw less then 6 weeks ago here in Ontario. It's a bit of a mind **** the way the government has pivoted from maximum restrictions to "Covid? What's that?"

Good point.

My SD came home in a bad mood today. She's wearing her mask at the cashdesk (HomeSense) and an unmasked customer said something about understanding that but not for the staff out on the floor. She asked SD if she'd wear one if she was out on the floor, got the answer 'yes' and the customer went off on one saying something like "Why, it's all over."

I suppose the customer could have meant the mandates rather than Covid has gone.

There's no longer a mandate in the UK but lots of people, slightly less than half I'd say, were wearing masks last week.

I had a trip to Tesco's on Sunday and would say less that 10% of the customers were wearing masks and zero of the staff.

In NC, I would say that in retail shops/ supermarkets somewhere in the range of 50%-75% of employees are wearing masks, but that the percentage of customers depends on when you are shopping. Early in the morning (I do most of our grocery shopping between 7.30-8.00am after dropping our daughter off at school), then the supermarkets are nearly deserted, and almost all customers are wearing masks. Whereas at lunchtime (I usually go out one lunchtime each week to buy sandwiches from a local deli, and often pop in to buy any bits and pieces we need, especially from the deli counter or butcher's counter which aren't open when I am shopping early), and then the supermarket is much busier, and less than 25% of customers are wearing masks.

Therefore I conclude that the risk-aware shoppers are still shopping at the quiet times of day, and taking masking precautions, and that the less-concerned are neither shopping at a quiet time, nor wearing a mask.

Well, of course, I speak of Waitrose.