A contingent gathered in Nanaimo this afternoon, April 2, advocating for freedom from government mandates on vaccination.
A mass of people assembled at the lower Bowen Park and Nanaimo Curling Centre parking lots waving flags and signs.
Masks are no longer mandatory in B.C. and the proof of vaccination card is scheduled to be in effect until Friday, April 8, but people like Cherry Ylikangaf want a permanent return to normal.
“My main concerns are digital ID, the mask (rules) are dropped already, but it’s not really dropped. As soon as September comes, we’re all going to go back to it. Nothing’s really dropped, the government’s not going to drop anything that easy,” Ylikangaf said.
Maya Mirovski sought medical freedom and doesn’t like vaccination rules.
“It’s absolutely wrong,” Mirovski said. “We’re not guinea pigs. People shouldn’t be tested massively … it’s a violation of human rights.”
According to a social media post, the event was a gathering of “fellow Island activists” and to fight for “Canadian/Island freedoms.”
All available COVID-19 vaccines in Canada underwent rigorous testing before obtaining Health Canada approval. Human rights cases brought in B.C. against provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Premier John Horgan about COVID-19 measures have been largely dismissed by the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.
The B.C. government announced an end to mandatory masks in public spaces, as well as the end date of the vaccination card in March.
The province’s April 1 update stated the preliminary new cases of COVID-19, numbered at 357 with 52 in the Island Health region and 356,858 cases overall. There were also four new deaths, with two on the Island.
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reporter@nanaimobulletin.com
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