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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi everyone,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>With the latest health mandates update today, we at the Maritime Museum of BC in Victoria are wondering about what to do with our public mask policy… Do we keep it to ensure safety for all? Or, do we simply encourage it but not require it? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Since the trucker’s convoy started in late January, we have been dealing with unmasked, un-vaccinated individuals coming into our space and harassing our young staff and senior volunteers about our policy. We’ve had to close during Saturday afternoons due to the noise level from the streets (we are right downtown). We’ve been locking our front door, even during public hours, on Saturdays and asking to see masks and vaccine passports through the windowed doors before letting visitors in to try to keep our staff/volunteers safe from the harassment we’ve been experiencing (though we still had a harasser slip through when we opened the door to let someone out). And now, we’re facing the possibility of more vehicles coming into downtown Victoria every weekday starting next week.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So with these latest mandate changes, we’re feeling like we’re caught between the choice of keeping our space as safe as we can and continue requiring masks and possibly inviting more harassment, or allowing masks to be optional to try to minimize the harassment we have been dealing with while compromising our safety protocols… <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>What is everyone else planning to do about masks? <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Many thanks,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Brittany<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>--<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>Brittany V. Vis, MLIS (she, her)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>Executive Director<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>250-385-4222 ext. 106<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;color:#17B7B4;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><a href="http://mmbc.bc.ca/"><span style='color:#17B7B4'>Maritime Museum of British Columbia</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>The Maritime Museum of BC is on the territories of the l</span></i><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>ə</span></i><i><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>k</span></i><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>̓ʷə</span></i><i><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>ŋ</span></i><i><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>ə</span></i><i><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'>n speaking peoples, specifically the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, who have respected these lands and waters for thousands of years.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-family:"Franklin Gothic Book",sans-serif;mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-CA'><img border=0 width=476 height=176 style='width:4.9583in;height:1.8333in' id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image003.jpg@01D8349F.BB8FAF70"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>