By: Michelle Young, Opinions Editor

Content warning: mentions of medical ableism.

On April 28, DoNoHarmBC hosted a non-violent die-in protest in front of health minister Adrian Dix’s office to protest the removal of mandatory masks in healthcare settings. The group’s core demand is to “return universal masking protections to all healthcare settings in BC,” citing the airborne nature of COVID-19. A die-in protest refers to protestors lying on the floor to highlight how people are affected by death from a particular issue. Die-in protests have historically been used to advocate during the AIDS epidemic, anti-war protests, and environmentalist movements. 

Signs at the protest read: “Vulnerable lives are still worth protecting,” and “Masks save lives.” After lying down, protestors outlined their bodies in chalk and also wrote messages on the sidewalk: “COVID-19 is airborne,” and “Do no harm means don’t infect people.” An estimate of 40–50 people joined the event. All participants were asked to wear high-quality masks and stay home if they had any symptoms or exposure to illness, but were provided with online options to engage with the protest. 

DoNoHarmBC collected online responses to read out at the event to represent those who could not attend. They explained, “Many of the people most impacted wouldn’t be able to attend in-person, due to their health and the COVID-19 risk levels in BC right now. That’s why it was essential for us to welcome remote and online participation — and why our die-in featured body outlines, to represent all the missing people so often hidden from view.” The Peak spoke with two of the organizers for more information about the protest and advocacy work. 

Dr. Karina Zeidler, an organizer who is a family physician and co-founder of Protect Our Province BC said, “One of the most moving moments for me was seeing someone help their partner, with severe long COVID, out of the wheelchair that COVID-19 put them into, and onto the ground so they could draw their outline with chalk.”

Many statements included details of how patients and their loved ones are high-risk and have contracted COVID-19 in healthcare settings. Jay, who had received a major surgery explained, “It caused me unnecessary anxiety and stress to have to worry about catching an airborne virus out of surgery. Staff made comments on my choice to mask and nurses were unmasked in the hospital rooms I recovered in where there was no proper air filtration, despite knowing my medical history and vulnerabilities.” 

Another read: “My name is Sora. I am a 46-year old healthcare worker and was diagnosed with cancer in October 2021. While I was in treatment, my family and I did everything we could to protect me from COVID-19 exposure [ . . . ] Given the dire outcomes for patients who catch COVID-19 in the hospital, I find it difficult to express the depth of betrayal that I would have felt if masks had not still been universally required in healthcare settings in BC at the time of my surgery. I am recovered and back at work now. I always wear an N95 in the hospital because I refuse to be complicit in putting patients at risk.” 

DoNoHarmBC’s press release outlined how COVID-19 can spread through the air, even by those who are vaccinated or do not show symptoms. “All COVID-19 patients (including vaccinated adults and children) are potentially at risk of long-term health damage or death, though some groups are disproportionately affected. These risks multiply with each reinfection,” they explained. They also cited high levels of transmission in BC and ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks in the province. 

Elaine Carol, an activist and organizer, explained, “Throughout the pandemic I’ve struggled to access healthcare.” She added, “To me, removing universal masking in healthcare was the last straw. I saw the announcement, and basically the first thing I did was tweet: Who wants to join me for a protest?

“I got an absolutely massive response from people all across BC. Before I knew it, we had over a dozen people lending their skillsets and resources organizing this — and it’s just taken off from there.” 

The decision to remove mandatory masks in healthcare settings was announced in early April, under the rationale that COVID-19 is not currently overwhelming the healthcare system. Multiple independent reports and BC wastewater data note that COVID-19 cases are increasing. The decision has prompted a statement from BC’s human rights commissioner, among others, who outlined concerns with the new policy — primarily that it “does not uphold a human rights-centred approach to public health.” 

Following the statement, Adrian Dix defended the policy change: “I think that Dr. Henry and her team always act with the most vulnerable in mind.” Carol noted “his response so far has been inadequate.” She explained Dix did not detail “how stripping away key safety measures could possibly benefit rather than endanger us. Nobody we’ve spoken to considers this response appropriate or sufficient — particularly not the vulnerable people Minister Dix and Dr. Henry claim to centre. We intend to let them know that.” 

DoNoHarmBC added, “The momentum is only growing, and we hear everyday from more people who want to be involved. One of my fellow organizers said something that stuck with me: “Much like COVID-19, political courage can be highly contagious.” In the end, so many people don’t have the choice not to care about this. Healthcare isn’t optional. Our safety isn’t optional. This is an issue of life and death and lifelong disability — for ourselves, and for the people we love.” 

You can read DoNoHarm’s collection of first-person stories here. To get involved, follow @DoNoHarmBC on Twitter.