In Brief

• The Facts:

  Vancouver, Canada will not have a required mask policy in civic facilities, and instead will simply recommend that people wear them.

• Reflect On:

  Should governments recommend what they feel we should do and present the science instead of forcing certain measures on the population that many people and health professionals clearly disagree with?

What Happened: The city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada will not mandate masks inside city buildings and will “strongly encourage” people to wear them instead. This is a bold move as many cities across the globe have mandatory mask measures in place.

The proposal by Counc. Sarah Kirby-Yung, which would have required masks inside city buildings, was opposed by more than a dozen speakers who pleaded with the city council to vote against it.

“Please consider our forefathers fought for our freedom, and if we release that choice, it’s the first step towards a dictatorship,” said one speaker according to City News. “Masks are used as weapons and they have certainly been used as weapons against me and others to silence and marginalize us and it’s not fair.”

According to Coun. Christine Boyle, public health experts encourage wearing masks, but a mandatory policy is not needed.

This recent decision echoes the thoughts of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. He offers an interesting perspective to the forced “authoritarian measures” that multiple governments are taking.

I actually don’t think the government should have the mandatory authority to say look, nobody goes out, you can’t leave, you cant do this that or the other, but…apart of the reason that I feel that way is that I don’t believe that it’s actually necessary. I believe that if the government makes recommendations, and we have the kind of public education that’s of a quality that can convince people and persuade them rationally that they should limit the amount of time that they spend outside, that they spend in crowds, you know that they’re in basically zones of potential infection and transmission, they will make the right decision themselves…Is it better for the government just to, you know, break out the jack boots and batons, and, look, nobody’s out of their house or it’s off to the patty wagon. Alternatively, you tell people, look, this is dangerous to you, it’s dangerous to your family, this is a global pandemic, you can reduce the risk to yourself, your community, if you follow this kind of recommendation, and here’s why we make these recommendations, here’s the basis for it, here are the facts, here’s our evidence and our science. (source)

The Takeaway: A number of renowned scientists and health professionals all over the world have shared their belief that mandatory masking as well as lockdown measures are doing more harm than good. The Great Barrington Declaration is one of many examples. There are multiple studies claiming that masks are simply ineffective to stop the spread of viral infections, and others claiming they are useful for stoping the spread of COVID-19. Today more than ever we are completely separated in our views and beliefs surrounding many topics, especially this pandemic. It seems to me that it would be more responsible for governments to make recommendations and let the people decide for themselves what they would like to do. This is why I was glad to see this decision made in Vancouver, but that’s just my opinion.

At the end of the day we have to ask ourselves, do governments always make the bests decisions for their citizenry? Are there other factors at play, like corruption and hidden agendas? Why do independent health bodies and professionals continue to be ridiculed and censored for offering information, evidence and opinion that goes against the grain?