COVID-19 and mask-wearing in Whistler

Order on masks in public indoor settings

As outlined in the EPA mask mandate order, masks are required for everyone in many public indoor settings. A face shield is not a substitute for a mask as it has an opening below the mouth.

There are exemptions for:

• People with health conditions or with physical, cognitive or mental impairments who cannot wear one
• People who cannot remove a mask on their own
• Children under the age of 12
• People who need to remove their masks to communicate due to another person's hearing impairment

Masks are required in many indoor public settings and all retail stores. This includes:

• Malls, shopping centres
• Grocery stores
• Airports
• Coffee shops
• On public transportation, in a taxi or ride-sharing vehicle
• Places of worship
• Libraries
• Common areas of post-secondary institutions, office buildings, court houses (except court rooms), hospitals and hotels
• Clothing stores
• Liquor stores
• Drug stores
• Community centres
• Recreation centres
• City Halls
• Restaurants, pubs and bars when not seated at a table
• Sport or fitness facilities when not working out (March 31 update: indoor exercise mask requirements)

​Wearing a mask should be combined with other important preventative measures such as frequent hand washing and physical distancing. Only wearing a mask is not enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Read the BC Centre for Disease Control's information about mask-wearing to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

In Whistler, there are many good reasons to wear a mask: to help protect our vulnerable community members, to help protect our front-line workers, and to help local businesses survive. Find out why in Whistler, we wear masks.