Canadians Willing To Wear Masks, If Necessary

This year’s holiday season looks a lot different than the previous two, with public health restrictions now largely left to the Ghost of Christmas Past, says the Angus Reid Institute. However, research from the organization shows a large group of unmasked Canadians would appreciate a push from government to force them to take a more cautionary approach. In fact, more than half of Canadians are supportive of re-implementing mask mandates if cases of COVID-19 rise this winter. At the same time, just three-in-10 (31 per cent) say they are wearing a mask more than half of the time in public spaces currently on their own volition. As immune-evasive Omicron variants spread, and influenza and respiratory illnesses cause problems for healthcare providers across the country, some speculate that mask mandates may be needed to curb infection. One-quarter (23 per cent) of those who ‘never’ wear a mask say they would support a mask mandate while two-thirds (65 per cent) of those who rarely but sometimes wear one also say they would accommodate a return to mandatory masking. As many look to their government for action on masking, few have the same appetite for a reintroduction of vaccine passports. One-in-five (21 per cent) would support this action, while two-in-five Canadians (42 per cent) say neither masking mandates nor vaccine passports should be in Canada’s future.