Dear editor,

On Tuesday afternoon I returned to the Island on BC Ferries via Horseshoe Bay.

From my seat on Deck 5 I observed that about 10 per cent of the passengers were non-compliant with the mask mandate.

Other than a couple of old duffers shuffling by with the mask pulled down below their noses most of the non-compliant were men and women in their 20s and 30s. Some had no masks at all. Some carried a mask in their hands. Some pretended to be drinking a beverage while loudly visiting with their friends.

I spoke to the Chief Steward and a security guard and they expressed their frustration that there are really no consequences for the non-compliant. It is time to acknowledge that a significant minority of our fellow citizens are devoid of any sense of civic responsibility and are unwilling to follow the simple health directives to keep the vulnerable amongst us safe. The 2,300 new COVID cases and 18 deaths over the past weekend mean nothing to them.

The time has come to fine or ban the non-compliant because without personal consequences they will not follow the guidelines. I would gladly have remained in my vehicle but since it was on Deck 3 I had to go upstairs as that is one rule that BC Ferries enforces.

Paul Horsley

Royston