B.C.'s provincial health officer says she will continue to resist calls for a mandatory mask order, saying it will remain the responsibility of businesses, community services and transportation providers to implement rules on face coverings.

"I have been asked many times why we do not have a provincial order mandating mask use here in B.C.," Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday.

She explained that masks are already mandatory in many indoor public spaces, including on public transit, BC Ferries, grocery stores and other businesses.

"There is an order that requires businesses to have COVID safety plans. A retail location, for example, should have plans that include mask wearing. That means making them available to people, making it clear that they need to wear a mask when they're in those settings, making sure staff need to know when to wear masks as well," Henry said.

But she pointed out that the biggest concern for transmission of the novel coronavirus right now is in private social gatherings in people's homes, or through indoor group activities like fitness or dance classes.

"The mask mandate is not something that in and of itself has made a difference in terms of transmission. Many of the settings we're talking about are not places where people would naturally wear a mask," Henry argued.

She said she's not a fan of a penalty-based approach where people are fined for not wearing masks, because certain marginalized groups including the homeless are often disproportionately targeted.

She also doesn't support Quebec's approach, where businesses can be fined for not enforcing mandatory mask rules.

Nonetheless, Henry said that everyone should be doing their part by wearing a mask in indoor public settings.