Rob: Starting on Monday, Roam Transit will be the first Alberta transit agency to require people to wear some sort of face covering on the bus. The feedback that they’ve received has been pretty positive on this move.

Tanya: Mandatory mask wearing has become a bit of a political wedge. Kudos to Roam Transit for taking this really big step.

Rob: It’s not the only business that’s requiring that either. You and I went to the Fairmont Banff Springs for the Rundle Bar reopening. They had a big sign out front that mask wearing is required within the building.

It’s proving really contentious. I realize that wearing a mask, especially in the summer, a cloth mask is hot. It’s uncomfortable. Your voice sounds really muffled when you’re wearing it. Kind of inconvenient to talk to people, but convenience and a pandemic are two things that aren’t necessarily compatible with each other. I think the public health aspects of this really outweigh that not so great feeling you might get when you’re wearing a mask.

Tanya: We’ve done a really good job lowering that curve, but as we reopen there are increased risks and a mask is just another way to reduce that risk because we don’t want to lose what we’ve gained. This thing is not over.

Rob: I’ve heard some arguments against wearing masks, like at the beginning they said wearing these masks wasn’t important. Now they say they are, so what is correct? Well, yeah, because our understanding of how this virus is transmitted is evolving and they’re continuing to learn more. Right now, there is evidence that points towards mask wearing being a way for people to prevent themselves from spreading the virus, if they’re asymptomatic, to other people.

I hear the arguments that it reduces the flow of oxygen, and that’s just a whole lot of bunk. People who have to wear masks for 8 hours, 12 hours to do a shift are still coming home and able to breathe fine. There’s really no weight to that argument. There just seems to be a lot of conspiracy theory stuff around masks and arguments that don’t have a lot of scientific merit.

Tanya: Remember when seatbelts became mandatory? I remember when that happened and it was a very similar kind of reaction. I think is natural to fight back. What’s going to be interesting though, here in the Bow Valley, is whether or not our municipalities take the step of making face coverings mandatory in indoor spaces in our communities. As tourism communities we see people coming here and we’re seeing an increased number. So far, the numbers on the Alberta health website for COVID in Canmore and the Banff area are very, very low. Considering that step as municipalities might be where we’re headed next on this.

Rob: Do they actually have the authority to do that?

Tanya: It’s a bit unclear right now because under a state of local emergency I think they would. We’re not under states of local emergency. We’re not even under a provincial state of public health emergency anymore. The other thing is whether or not our councils are going to even take that direction. As we’ve said before, it’s become political. There is, however, some discussion at Banff council on Monday around masks.

Rob: What’s going on?

Tanya: The proposal is to establish temporary seasonal positions for Mask Ambassadors to hand out masks in public places. The masks are being provided by Alberta Health Services. Making them more available in public settings might help encourage people to make that step.

Rob: I have to admit I’ve taken a bit of issue with the whole Alberta Health Services distribution of masks. These are non-reusable masks. We’re essentially creating a whole bunch of garbage. Isn’t there a way that they could have done this with reusable cloth masks?

Tanya: For me, trying to reduce my environmental footprint and understanding that COVID is making that even more difficult. The mask situation for me is definitely fabric, washing them and hanging them to dry.

Rob: I wish there was a way that we could continue to promote sustainability at the same time as we’re promoting good public health measures.

Tanya: And perhaps a way to connect the people in our communities who are the makers so we’re sourcing them locally as well.

Filed under: Banff, Canmore, covid-19, Mountain Insider