On the 19th of November, facing a troubling uptick in COVID-19 cases, the BC government clamped down.
Among the measures instigated that day were vetoes on most forms of social gatherings and restrictions on travel. But arguably the most impactful was the decree that face masks are now mandatory in all retail environments, restaurants, and indoor public spaces.
Just three days later, a group of demonstrators assembled on Main Street in Penticton, near Cherry Lane Mall, to protest both the lockdown and the new face mask regulations.
So we wanted to gauge the opinions of locals. We hit the streets, and a number of indoor spaces, to ask folks their thoughts on the new regulations -- and in particular the mandatory masks -- and protests against them.
Here's what we found.
Candace Brodie is a veterinary assistant at the South Okanagan Animal Care Centre, and she's all about wearing masks on the job and in her personal life.
"Here at the clinic, we all know that wearing masks is what we have to do to do our part," she said, looking quite fashionable in the cat-centric mask she purchased from a friend's Etsy shop.
"And I've been wearing masks indoors all the time, even before the new mandate. I just want to protect other people, and hopefully it protects me a little bit."
As for last Sunday's protest, Brodie defended the right to assemble and speak freely, but didn't feel this was the right time or way to do it.
"It's unfortunate that they're gathering in large crowds right now," she said, "It's risky."
Darren McWhinney is the owner of Angry Vegan Juice Bar & Vegan Food, where dividers hang between the tables and the staff wears masks and gloves at all times.
But he's a bit more cynical when it comes to compulsory public indoor mask-wearing.
"The mandatory masks are apparently to save us from massive destruction and deaths all over the world," he said, "though I'm not sure if I agree with that."
But he does agree with the Sunday protestors' right to do their thing.
"Peaceful protest is a democratic way of viewing life, and we should have that freedom. So good on them for saying what they needed to say."
Penticton residents Susan and Bob Waldenberger don't often wear face masks outdoors unless they're in a congested area, but they were ardent indoor mask fans even before Friday's mandate.
"It's extremely important (to wear masks indoors)," said Susan. "If we're going to get through this, we have to wear masks. That's the only way it's going to change. That and the vaccine."
And she had a message for those who might feel a bit beaten down after eight-plus months of pandemic lifestyle.
"Just hang in there," she said. "We'll get through this. Be kind to each other, and we'll see the light of day in the spring.
"The last thing we want is to experience what the US is experiencing."
With wife Lyndie, Mike Hill runs Penticton-based Hoodoo Adventures. Both professionally and personally, he's a facemask believer.
"I think prior to the directive, we had mixed messaging and ambiguity. So like it or not, at least now there's a line drawn in the sand and the people on the front line have more than just themselves as a backup."
Hill says that even before the decree, Hoodoo employees were enforcing social distancing and wearing masks when in close proximity to a client.
"But now the ambiguity is cleared up. You might have to smell your own breath for awhile, but you're protected as a person."
He doesn't, however, fully understand the protest.
"I get peoples' anxieties, and I understand the pushback on perceived controls," he said, "but I do not support the protest because it undermines that we're all in this together. There's no real sacrifice in wearing a mask. And it's not an infringement on your human rights."
Tom and Darlene of Penticton have divergent reasoning, but they arrive at the same conclusion: The jury's still out on the effectiveness of facemasks.
"We don’t have big problems here in Penticton right now," said Tom, "and that's why it shouldn’t be enforced here.
"Logically thinking, there's no real scientific proof that you're being 100% protected by a face mask. And I've got asbestosis in my lungs. When I've tried wearing a mask, I have problems breathing."
Darlene finds the issue, and the messaging, confusing.
"I do believe masks are good, but I'm thinking there isn't really enough information for us to rely on the government telling us what we should do and what we shouldn't do. We've gone through this for eight months, and now everything's changing."
The couple has a solution that should please even the most fervent mask proponents. Until a vaccine is readily available, she does all the shopping, mask on, and he simply doesn't patronize indoor public spaces.
Ron Gladish is a resident artist at The Long Gallery + Studio in downtown Penticton. He's sold on facemasks and flat-out troubled by Sunday's protest.
"It’s proven that masks work," he said. "And it's not proven that they harm people. It seems nowadays that the world is filled with people who don't believe in science anymore."
Gladish drove past the protest on the weekend and didn't much like what he saw.
"My first thought was okay, if someone's walking by here and wants to keep their social distance and use the crosswalk, it wouldn’t be possible.
"And that gets my hackles up because it's all about protecting everyone, it’s not about free speech right now."
Gladish thinks that donning a mask is not only smart, but selfless, saying, "I'd be less upset if I had to live with the disease than if I'd given it to others."
Taylor McEwen was expertly riding her long board down Main Street when we caught up with her. She was wearing a mask at the time, so we figured we knew where she stood on the issue.
We figured wrong.
McEwen said she's worn a mask outdoors "long before COVID."
"I wear a mask because I live on the street," she said, adding that it keeps her face warm and helps with her asthma.
As for the latest indoor mask regulations, she said, "It's mind over matter. If people think COVID's going to kill them, it'll kill them. The mind is a powerful thing."
McEwen added that she saw the protest in person Sunday, but that she "pays no attention to COVID. I'm not going to psyche myself out. It's either going to get you or it's not and I don't think masks help."
Joshua Enes lives in one of the oldest homes in Penticton. We met up with him as he cleaned his front yard, wearing a mask for the job, not for COVID-19. He says his pandemic mask is far more subtle.
"They have evidence that masks are effective," he said, "and I believe they should do everything they can to slow the spread of it. So it makes sense to wear masks, especially indoors."
As for Sunday's protest, he said he's all for the right to free speech but doesn't agree with their position. But of even greater importance to Enes is the damage done by private group events like house parties.
"Mandates over big gatherings should definitely be enforced," he said. "So many of the cases have come from big gatherings -- parties and such things."
Adam Vallis is the manager of the Riverside Liquor Store. He says the new regulation has eased the burden on his staff.
"It made is easier for us. Now there's no wishy-washiness, no indecision. It was mandatory for us (the staff) before the mandate, but we certainly couldn't put that on our customers.
"So to be told you have to do things in a certain way is a better way from our perspective."
If customers enter the store without a mask, they're asked if they have a mask with them. Most people do, said Vallis, and the ones who don't are given one.
On a personal level, Vallis said he's been convinced that indoor mask-wearing is a necessity.
"When the case numbers started going up a few weeks and people started wearing masks again, I wasn't firmly convinced about it because I felt it was more regionally specific.
"But in recent times we've seen a lot more rise. And now that the government has said you must wear masks, it's taken the thought process out and there simply is no discussion."
Judy and John Devlin of Oliver weren't aware of the anti-mask protest, but said they have no time for people who won’t mask up indoors.
"It may last a month, two months, it may last a year," said John. "There's too many folks losing their lives because of the pig-headed people who won't do what they should.
"It takes a few seconds to put it on, then you take it off afterward. Not a big deal. It's just common sense."
"We should have implemented it months ago," added Judy. "I'd rather breathe through a mask than through a ventilator."
