Mostly masked: Requirements lift in Manitoba but many leave face coverings on
While masks no longer required as of Saturday, most shoppers seemed to prefer keeping theirs on for now
In some places, a newly mask-optional Manitoba on Saturday didn't look much different from a day earlier, when wearing masks in indoor public settings was the law.
Roger Miller figured he'd have some company going without the face covering when he went for his grocery run Saturday morning, the first day of the province's new regulations.
"It's wonderful going in, but I noticed that I may have made a mistake because I was the only person in there without a mask. It felt really weird — it felt like I was not part of the norm," he said after getting groceries at the Save-On-Foods International at the Northgate Shopping Centre.
"I figured everyone would be jumping at the opportunity, you know, after a year and a half of being stuck inside and with a mask on."
Though he found he was on his own, shopping without a mask seemed like a return to normal for Miller.
"It felt wonderful to walk through this door without having to worry about anything whatsoever," he said.
WATCH | Eased restrictions marked by celebration, uncertainty:
The move to make mask use a strong recommendation, rather than a requirement, has been the most controversial shift in Manitoba's newly loosened public health restrictions, which were announced Tuesday and took effect Saturday at 12:01 a.m.
The province is also ending capacity limits for most businesses, and doing away with any constraints on indoor and outdoor gatherings at private residences.
Those newly relaxed restrictions brought people together again.
The Manitoba Korean 55 Centre usually holds a picnic in Winnipeg every year, but the pandemic scrapped last year's event. President Young Bae was more than happy to celebrate the easing of restrictions, and celebrate the members who have come through the pandemic to this point.
They planned a feast with a pig roast, along with line dancing for entertainment.
"We try to celebrate ourselves that we are still healthy and maintaining our good life in Manitoba. That's why we have decided to have a good picnic today," Bae said.
The decision to lift the mask mandate has been widely denounced in some circles, including from public health experts, as a fourth wave of the pandemic driven by the more contagious delta coronavirus variant appears on the horizon.
Those concerns have many businesses and customers choosing to go above and beyond the public health orders.
At least 120 businesses are listed on a crowdsourced online listing of businesses that still require masks.
'Better to prevent than cure'
Even in the businesses without a mask mandate, the vast majority of customers still seemed to be opting to wear one.
During a visit to a Dollarama in Garden City, a Co-op grocery store and McNally Robinson Booksellers in Grant Park, CBC News did not see any shoppers without masks.
"I'm still impressed with people wearing a mask because they still believe that wearing a mask is to protect yourself and protect others," Melchie Sumbilla said after her grocery store visit.
She's fully vaccinated, but knows first-hand the impacts of COVID-19, since she was infected in May. She still feels the side-effects to this day.
Ben Pablico finds using his mask is a proactive measure.
"I say it's better to prevent than cure later," he said.
"Why can't we do it a little longer?
"Besides, we have lots of spares, so why not?" he quipped. "What are you going to do with this one?"
Deborah McPhail, who wore her face mask at Grant Park Shopping Centre, wasn't surprised to be among the majority.
"I'm more surprised, actually, that there are people without their masks just because I'm so used to not seeing faces."
Jay Hall was maskless as he waited his turn for the barber's chair in the mall, but it doesn't mean he's against masks. He said he's double-vaccinated and safely distanced from others.
"If I'm around somebody who's vulnerable or somebody asked me to put on a mask, it's right here ready to go," he said, pulling the mask from his pocket. He wore it at the Blue Bombers game last Thursday when walking through the packed crowds in the concourse.
But Hall acknowledged his stance may make other people uncomfortable.
"I mean, some people have definitely given me a side look, but that's to be expected. This is new for all of us again, right? We're learning how to live without the precautions again."
'It's a bit surreal'
In Ste. Anne, southeast of Winnipeg, one person responded to the new rules by tossing his mask in the garbage, after a reporter told him his mask wasn't legally required anymore.
"I never thought it was a good idea anyway" to wear a mask, Keith Dutiaume said.
A new cannabis shop in the community is leaving it up to its customers to assess their comfort level with masks.
"We've been doing it for so long that it's kind of — I don't know, it's a bit surreal that it's all of a sudden over," said Sean Stewart, owner of AAAAA Supercraft.
"It is a bit strange getting back to that type of a life of, 'Wow, I could see your face. I can see what you're saying with your mouth.'"
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With files from Charles-Étienne Drouin