Masks no longer required for public servants at desks and in meetings with distancing
policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2022/pub...
policyoptions.irpp.orgPosted May 16, 2022, 10:53 PM UTC
11496
policyoptions.irpp.orgPeople have been wearing masks at their desks? Not my department. Not for...... ever. Meetings yes and when someone is in your space, yes. But alone at the desk(?).
63
Yup. My department has people who go around once an hour to check if you have it on. Luckily very few of us are required to go in. So few in fact, they've prohibited us from sitting on half our floors so that the mask checker has an easier job. Which is kind of hilarious (not), because now your forcing people into less space so that you can make sure they have a mask when probably letting them not wear a mask on the floor where they were alone would have been way more safe for everyone.
54
It must be truly embarrassing to be the floor "mask checker".
46
Yikes. This is the essence of bureaucratic incompetence in the covid era.
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20
Dead serious. Repeat offenders receive sternly worded memos.
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4
For over a year it's been 24/7 at all times in my dept
4
When I was in the office this was the case for us too. I was alone in a large area but it didn't matter, mask checker had to come around.
I found out about the mask policy because the mask checker gave me shit for not wearing it and said I should have received notice. I asked where the notice was and it was buried in the bottom of the newsletter no one reads, as a sidenote. Having to wear masks at work should be it's own email.
Managers with closed offices could take their masks off of course :)
9
I've worn it 24/7. Whole office had an outbreak due to them eating in closed spaces with masks off and thinking their cubicle is this magical barrier. I escaped that fate.
11
Hopefully you mean 8/5, not 24/7. Showering and sleeping would get a little dicey.
1
They never cared until I put on the mask
1
When I was in the office last year, on my old team we only had to wear it when we got up and walked around.
7
Because covid only flies around in hallway airspace, amirite!
17
The virus is very respectful of cubicle partitions
9
Yes. At first we were allowed to take them off at our desk if nobody was within 2m but then it was changed to wear it all the time unless in a closed room (convenient for those with closed offices, but ridiculous for those of us often alone on a giant floor with the closest person 50 feet away) and they only recently changed it so we could take them off if social distancing could be maintained.
4
employees can “get a feel for it.” Feel for what? Getting covid? Instructions seems unclear.
49
I guess I can never go back to the office. 😔 If I bring covid home, my spouse is highly likely to die.
Edit. At some point, yes I'll probably go back. But not in the foreseeable future. A part of me is really disappointed that we're removing low cost and relatively effective risk mitigation measures.
28
But then you'll miss all those Memorable Moments(tm)!!
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Memorable moments. I might be sick that day
7
Same here. I started my duty to accommodate paperwork already just in case. If your spouse's issues are well documented, I suggest doing the same!
15
Thank you. I will start the paperwork as soon as I catch wind of any back to the office stuff. Spouse's health issue is well documented, so that's not an issue. Thanks again.
7
Yeah fair enough... My manager ran it by my director who said it's probably not worth starting the process until we have some indication that we're going back, so you're right, probably no rush until then at least. Best of luck!
7
Same to you! Cheers.
1
Please reach out to your local steward for assistance if you are unsure.
2
Same my dude, except I'm the spouse.
Really hoping our dept lets us continue WFH indefinitely. It's not like we're needed in the office for my role anyways.
9
Ahhhh. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Stay safe.
3
Same. I help take care of my mom who is quite aged, diabetes, osteoporosis, and a bunch of other issues. I'm changing job if they force me back to the office.
Plus there's no point in going back. Been doing my job for 2 years at home with zero issues.
8
Masks are at best a mitigation measure, they don't prevent COVID. Unfortunately there's nothing you can do to avoid the inevitable, we will all catch COVID one time or another, and most likely many times in our life. Perhaps you can delay the inevitable by finding a position that can be done exclusively from home, or by wearing well-fitted N95 masks.
-3†
Thats the plan Stan.
11
What? So, you're going to live the rest of your life away from literally all human beings...?
-14†
Your privilege shows. Would you accept a 40% chance of death? 🤷♂️ We're not ready to accept that risk right now...but you do you!
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Your fully vaccinated spouse has a 40% chance of death?
-12†
Yep. Do you believe this isn't possible, or are you trying to see if my spouse is unvaccinated?
18
So much for evidence-based policy
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4
You still want to wear a mask?
-10
What someone wants should not affect the policy if it's evidence-based.
11
The virus doesn't care what I want
11
Been in the office for two years, have never worn a mask at my desk while alone. I put my mask on when someone comes to talk to me, otherwise, my mask is on walking around and in meetings.
19
Same
1
Been in the office for two years, have never worn a mask at my desk while alone.
You want a cookie or something?
-46
Sure and a new house and car while I'm at! I was simply stating that this article isn't accurate as many people who have been in the office haven't had to wear a mask at their desk 🙄
23
What's the occupancy rate been like in your office or on your floor?
3†
Near my area, there are teams/units who I haven't seen come in at all or some teams come in a few days a week. The numbers are now increasing but there are days I'm the only one on the floor.
7
Well at the point it's whatever. Everywhere I go there's about 20% of people wearing masks anyway and no social distancing. I went to a restaurant today and none of the staff wore masks. I see no mask requirement being a thing soon for the office.
19
Very concerned as a disabled PS employee, catching COVID would be devastating for my health. Really hoping remote work will remain an option in my department, meanwhile I'm thinking I should get started on Duty to Accomodate paperwork.
16
Bad idea.
Several of the admins caught covid during a meeting. Yes its anecdotal, but considering ALL OF THEM caught it... it think its safe to say not masking was a bad idea.
12
As someone who sits at an office all day, and takes 95% of meetings on teams, I welcome this change 100%.
More then happy to put on a mask when someone comes to speak to me, but wearing it all day is overkill imo.
10
Curious to know how you consider wearing a mask all day is overkill with virus that's => contagious than measles and can spread rapidly though the air in large volumes via aerosols.
-9†
Cause we’re living with it
2†
No masks at my department since February… they are following the provincial health guidelines. I contacted my union about it a month ago and didn’t get a response 😐
8
Aren't federal buildings under federal guidelines, not the province?
9
Federal buildings have to follow the most strict of federal, provincial or municipal health guidelines.
7
That’s what I thought so I contacted the union.
2
These are two extremes, as I know at the Geological Survey they must wear the N95 masks provided, for now. We at the rest of NRCan also have N95 masks, but can opt to wear our own masks.
3
Does anyone know what's going on with the review of the vaccine policy? Will it get dropped. or are they expanding it to require boosters as well?
6†
No-one knows. It is still ongoing, as the original policy requires them to do a review.
6
They can't justify making people get boosters when they aren't a requirement
1†
My office is finally getting rid of the policy of masks at desk at the end of the month. However if you have a sit/stand desk you must keep your mask on while standing...the logic of these policies blows my mind.
5
The have added Covid to the GCWorkplace guidelines; the virus is prohibited from cubicles, lunch rooms and all meeting rooms and boardrooms so we should be just fine. PS what a delight to be anticipating returning to the office with gas at all time high and parking rates 25% higher
5
TFW when the management team reads their script about enhanced cleaning and sanitizer and it makes you feel less safe than when they started because it becomes clear they are solving for the wrong problems. (womp womp)
3
Huh you had to wear masks at desks?
2†
So did you and everyone else in this group, but seems many places just do what they want.
8
Not everybody, we've been working in person as essential workers since day 1 and our department mask policy (from like July 2020, still the most current) says to wear masks when you can't social distance.
2
I honestly had no idea. The first time Ive been back to the office since the pandemic was two weeks ago and I had the whole floor to myself
1
Yes.
5
Moderation notes:
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Related post from a few days ago linking to the updated guidance document
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General discussions about vaccines, masking, and the pandemic (disconnected from the public service) are off-topic for this subreddit and will be removed or locked. The subreddit's temporary rules for Covid-related discussions remain in effect. Please keep the discussion directly connected to employment in the public service.
1
Yikes
1†
It's amazing how every aspect of the public service is behind the curve. Even transition to a post pandemic reality.
1†
When did the pandemic end?
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Locking this portion of the thread, as such discussions aren't directly related to the public service.
2
When hospitalization rate decoupled from the case count because of vaccination, previous infection and a less virulent Omicron. Just because a minority of people are stuck in an emotional covid hysteria doesn't mean we aren't past a pandemic phase. You tell me, if we aren't past a pandemic phase, what do you need to see to indicate we are in an endemic?
-2†
When hospitalization rate decoupled from the case count because of vaccination, previous infection and a less virulent Omicron. Just because a minority of people are stuck in an emotional covid hysteria doesn't mean we aren't past a pandemic phase. You tell me, if we aren't past a pandemic phase, what do you need to see to indicate we are in an endemic?
Omicron is more virulent than previous variants, not less.
We are not past a pandemic phase. It is not endemic.
What do I need to see to indicate we are in an endemic? For the epidemiologists to classify it as such. Instead they keep repeating that it is NOT endemic.
7
Omicron causes significantly less severe disease. Epidemiologists are classifying it as an endemic around the world. You need to look beyond the cbc.
1†
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1
Meetings with social distancing lol. Pack 10+ people in a room with the door shut. This virus circled the globe, but don't worry, we practice social distancing in a meeting.
Don't worry, federal buildings are renowned for their air filtration
Also their wide variety of exotic wildlife. Bats, mice, bedbugs…
We will infect the building bats, and the virus will have gone full circle.
lol omg imagine the bats get COVID and it mutates into an even more extreme version of COVID and we come ground zero for pandemic 2.0 😂😂
2020 was from wuhan, China
2022 from Ottawa, Canada. From Canada public service 😅😂 imagine the headlines!
🙈🙈🙈
LTDC! 🙌
Maybe they eat the COVID
What if we were in different rooms, but on video? ;)
Question for the experts, what if we were in different homes on video???? Could be a huge solution.
That would make too much sense.
Unless the GoC invested heavily in air quality with HEPa filtration, might as well just do away with masks altogether if doing away with it in places. How do people still not get that it’s airborne and lingers for hours?
They know, they just don't care.