Masks not required at tonight's Canucks game for first time in two years
Back to normal-ish?
COVID isn’t over, but tonight’s Canucks game at Rogers Arena will look like the most “normal” hockey game played in Vancouver in over two years.
It was two years ago yesterday that the Canucks played their final game during normal times — a 5-4 shootout win over the New York Islanders. Tomorrow is the two-year anniversary of the NHL pausing its season due to the pandemic.
The Canucks have confirmed that they won’t require fans to wear masks going forward, following yesterday’s announcement by the provincial government.
“With the change in provincial guidelines, masks will no longer be required at events held at Rogers Arena and Abbotsford Centre,” said Canucks president of business operations Michael Doyle. “Fans and employees who wish to continue wearing masks are welcome to do so.”
The reaction to yesterday’s news from the BC government was mixed, and certainly many fans will continue to wear masks at games as a precaution. But judging by the lack of compliance seen throughout this season, this is sure to be welcome news for many others.
BC’s mask mandate was officially lifted at 12:01 am, though private businesses are allowed to require mask-wearing if they choose. The mask mandate has been lifted before, briefly last summer. It was reimplemented prior to this season due to the Delta variant.
Fans will still be required to show proof of vaccination for at least the next eight home games, as the BC Vaccine Card is set to be scrapped on April 8.
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