Poster: Exemptions to the mandatory mask order in British Columbia - BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner has issued a simple poster to clarify mask-wearing exemptions permitted under the mandatory mask Order. The poster relates to indoor public spaces as defined in section 2 (2) of Ministerial Order No. M425 and M012. This includes, for example, retail and service businesses, workplaces (in shared common areas of office buildings), public event spaces, places of public worship, and public transportation vehicles. It does not include, for example, indoor spaces in public schools, where a mask Order has subsequently been issued and differs. The poster is designed to be placed alongside notices or signage about a business’s mask-wearing policies.

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The poster clarifies that you do not have to wear a mask if:

you are under 12 years old
you are unable to wear a mask because of a health condition or physical or mental impairment
you are unable to put on or remove a mask without help from another person

People who are able to wear a mask, but who choose not to as a matter of preference are not exempt. People who are not exempt but refuse to wear a mask in an indoor public setting could be subject to a fine.

The poster advises business owners that:

If a person claims a mask exemption, take them at their word. Proof should not be required.
Business owners cannot be fined for allowing people without masks to enter their place of business.

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