Photo by Whitehorse Star
Dr. Brendan Hanley
City is advising mask use
Things could look a little different at City of Whitehorse facilities tomorrow.
Revised - Things could be looking a little different at City of Whitehorse facilities today.
According to communications manager Myles Dolphin, the city is not doing anything differently from the recommendations put forward by chief medical officer of health Dr. Brendan Hanley.
He has recommended the relaxation of many of the health regulations pertaining to COVID-19.
As of today, masks are no longer mandatory in the Yukon, but individual organizations and businesses can create their own policies.
“The City is following recommendations from the Chief Medical Officer of Health to strongly recommend the use of masks inside City facilities, at the Canada Games Centre, and on Whitehorse Transit,” Dolphin said Tuesday.
So masks are not mandatory, he confirmed – only advised.
“Correct,” Dolphin said.
“The city has followed the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s recommendations from the start of the pandemic.”
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Comments (16)
Up 11 Down 5
Dex on Aug 9, 2021 at 3:35 pm
June. NEWSFLASH. You don't have a 'right' to go into a store. You are a customer, a guest. You play by their rules or you can stand out on the sidewalk.
If you come to my house, you take off your shoes at the door. No smoking. If not, get out, you ain't welcome.
Also stop with the drama (maybe watch some wrestling on the teevee if you need drama)
The City isn't 'telling' people to wear masks, they are advising. Based on my experience since the mask lifting, the vast majority of the public still wear masks in stores and I know that drives you nuts.
Up 3 Down 1
Anie on Aug 9, 2021 at 2:29 pm
Juniper said "Anie: Not sure why you consistently target others contributors. But, since you have targeted me, my response is: You have an odd way of defining choice. "
I have no idea at all what you are talking about.
Up 2 Down 3
YukonMax on Aug 9, 2021 at 11:02 am
I can't wait for all the juveniles here to go back to school. Well thought out opinions are needed now more then ever.
Up 12 Down 18
Chralie's Aunt on Aug 7, 2021 at 12:31 pm
Many anti maskers posting here do not understand that the mask is supposed to prevent the wearer spreading Covid-19, it is not primarily to protect the wearer. Instead of ridiculing those who continue to wear a mask & those businesses who still recommend it, you might be thankful they care more about their fellow citizens than you do. As for wearing a mask in car, I will do that if going a short distance e.g., from Qwanlin Mall to Superstore, as Anie says, it is sometimes less trouble than taking it off and putting it back on again.
Up 13 Down 6
Juniper Jackson on Aug 7, 2021 at 8:18 am
Anie: Not sure why you consistently target others contributors. But, since you have targeted me, my response is: You have an odd way of defining choice. I wanted to go to a store, they won't let me in without a mask. They have removed my right to go where I wish, with or without a mask. You tell me, if I won't mask, I must get curbside service etd.. I want to go to the store. So, you would force me to stay home. As for what I'm going to gripe about next? Until those politicians stand for something, until those politician's turn into ethical, honest people, without bribery charges, without scandals, yeah. I'll be on them.
This issue is about the City of Whitehorse trying to tell people to wear a mask. uh huh. Did you have anything to say about that? or just want to go after Lotz, me and MrFacts? I encourage debate. You know, where each person has an opinion about the issue. It's hard to have a conversation with one contributor only wants to talk about the other contributor.
Up 14 Down 17
Anie, your comments are bang on on Aug 6, 2021 at 10:55 am
Although I wish my biggest concern over the past 18 months was that 'someone' is wearing a mask alone in a vehicle lol.
and Juniper - you have always had, and will always have, choices. You may not like any of them very much but enough with the 'no choice' lament. Don't want to enter a store with a mask on? Shop online, get curbside pick-up or shop elsewhere. What will you have to complain about now that the measures are being lifted??? Oh, right - politicians
Up 18 Down 9
Seriously? on Aug 6, 2021 at 9:13 am
Lolz, sometimes I wear my mask inside my car because I forget to take it off. Simple as that. Perhaps you should think before calling people "bananas".
Up 21 Down 12
Anie on Aug 5, 2021 at 3:20 pm
Mr Facts, just curious about how you know that someone wearing a mask is giving you a dirty look cause you aren't wearing one? That's quite an accomplishment. On the other hand, perhaps you are reading far too much into a passing glance? My mother used to say "we wouldn't worry so much about what people think about us, if we only realized how seldom they do"
Up 30 Down 14
Anie on Aug 5, 2021 at 3:16 pm
Lolz, take a breath. People wearing masks while alone in their cars are probably just going from one place to another and it's simpler to leave it on. Or maybe they have had the mask on for quite a while and simply forgot about it. Why would you look for a reason to make fun of someone? Covid has sure brought out the meaness in people
Up 28 Down 36
Lolz on Aug 4, 2021 at 1:15 pm
Lol at all the people wearing masks alone in their car, I hope at the same time you have your heat or AC turned off because it can get through the vents, also wear eye protection because it can get in your eyes also. You people are bananas.
Up 30 Down 26
Salt on Aug 4, 2021 at 12:52 pm
The take away is simple. The IFR for COVID-19 is low, masks/quarantine have proved to have no discernible impact on transmission, the vaccines are no where near 90% effective and the PCR tests produce a high false positive rate. End the God complex of the technocrats.
Up 48 Down 53
Mr Facts on Aug 3, 2021 at 6:46 pm
I'm glad to see I'll be able to go to the gym without a mask that does nothing to prevent a virus from spreading. I can't wait for all the dirty looks from the "Karen's". And I will only shop at stores that don't require masks. A big shout out to Independent, you have earned my business. And if you are scared of this flu then stay home, I want to get on with my life.
Up 31 Down 26
Juniper Jackson on Aug 3, 2021 at 5:45 pm
Rolf: Delta is already here. Just saying'.
If masks are now optional, but Hanley is telling businesses to keep the masking policy in place... then.. you still can't go anywhere without a mask. What was the point? I do not know that Hanley, or Silver, has put anything in writing about that. But, I think, business is about money. Business won't care if I am masked or not. They might have policy for their employee's, but they will be more interested in keeping me in the store until my money runs out. More Liberal flim flam? Say one thing, do nothing, or do something else. This is apparently the Liberal way. An Election is coming. Trudeau is pouring money into the territory. They had 5 years to fix our roads, support local projects. But, where did the money go? It wasn't here.
I am always a proponent of choice. Being forced, no choice, was a hard pill for me to swallow. Some businesses might respect choice. I could wish they all would. There is no need for the Emergency Measure Act to be activated. Silver..shut it down.
Up 31 Down 31
LRGagnon on Aug 3, 2021 at 5:40 pm
Most will agree, the relaxing of some restrictions is needed to get back to some normalcy. Opening the borders to non vaccinated is probably the worse thing Hanley/Silver could be doing to the Territory. When you think of the efforts, losses and sacrifices we've all done in the past 18 months, it's a step backwards.
In a Washington Post article in reference to internal CDC documents:
“We are at an inflection point,” said Pardis Sabeti, a geneticist at the Broad Institute and Harvard University. “I’d say we are in a moment right now — a crossroads, a fork in the road where we can either try and take a road to end the pandemic or take a path that will prolong it.”
The study makes clear that vaccines offer significant protection but do not prevent infection entirely, even among the fully vaccinated…... “This report demonstrates that vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is not perfect, particularly in a setting with a highly contagious variant, in a large group in close contact, even if most are vaccinated against the virus,” said Gregg Gonsalves, associate professor at the Yale School of Public Health. “The good news here: If you’re vaccinated, refrain from large group gatherings and mask up, chances are good you’ll be okay. This is not 2020. But we’re not out of the woods.”
The take away is simple: Wear masks. Keep the government mandate on masks!
Up 28 Down 38
Matthew on Aug 3, 2021 at 5:17 pm
LOL! Good luck with that, show me any kind of "science" backing this motion up to even wear masks for healthy folks. I mean many of us have been asking about this for months now, still get the same regurgitated talk.. pathetic really.
Up 66 Down 61
Rolf on Aug 3, 2021 at 4:48 pm
Any bets as to when the Delta variant will be landing here? You will know it by it's severity.