In light of the ongoing prevalence of COVID-19 and taking into consideration BC's public health measures, and the end of the worst of the flu season, we are moving to a policy where masks are encouraged at the gallery, rather than mandatory.
We continue to choose to take a slow approach in order to support those most affected by the impacts of this pandemic (physical and mental)—including people with disabilities, those who are immunocompromised, young kids who can't yet be vaccinated & their parents, and those struggling emotionally to re-emerge for many reasons. We welcome you all to the space and hope that through our programming and safety measures, Access can be a safe and regenerative space for you to visit.
We are maintaining the following procedures:
- We will still encourage masks to be worn at all times while in the gallery
- often the gallery has only a few visitors at a time, so it can feel reasonable to hang out without masks. The staff will mask if we choose to, and will mask if you ask us to.
- we'll continue to provide disposable masks should you forget yours at home when you visit, but we encourage you to bring your own when you're out and about. Our neighbours Massey Books also require masks!
- We understand young children may not be wearing masks, and welcome them to the gallery of course!
- We ask that you please do not attend the gallery or events if you are feeling unwell.
- We will continue to have hand sanitizers at the front door
- We respectfully remind you to wash your hands, and use good hygiene practices in order to keep common items such as doors, as safe as possible for our staff and visitors.
We will continue to assess recommendations from the provincial and federal public health, and make updates to our safety measures as needed.