Fight Breaks Out Over Mask Mandates

A protest in Vancouver calling on heath officials to reinstate mask mandates ended with a fight between three people, as COVID-19 cases in Canada increased by 11 percent over the past week.

"A fight broke out at a Vancouver, Canada protest demanding the return of Covid masking," conservative journalist Andy Ngo wrote on X, formerly Twitter, sharing a video of the altercation.

In the video, supporters of the protest can be seen lined up holding signs outside of BC Minister of Health Adrian Dix's office, calling for mask mandates to be reinstated in the province. As the video continues, three men can be seen fighting near the end of the line of protesters. One of them said that a man not seen wearing a mask attacked another, who is wearing a mask. The altercation ends shortly afterward as one of the men involved is seen running away.

It is unclear what sparked the fight and Newsweek reached out to the Vancouver Police Department via email for more information.

The fight comes as several places in the U.S. have announced a return to masking requirements amid a slight increase in COVID-19 cases and the emergence of two new variants. The World Health Organization previously labeled EG.5 as a variant of interest and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that the BA.2.86 variant was recently detected in the U.S.

"Based on what CDC knows now, existing tests used to detect and medications used to treat COVID-19 appear to be effective with this variant. BA.2.86 may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received COVID-19 vaccines. Scientists are evaluating the effectiveness of the forthcoming, updated COVID-19 vaccine," the CDC said.

Several hospitals and health care systems such as Auburn Community Hospital, United Health Services and Kaiser Permanente announced that mask mandates were returning for employees, patients and visitors.

The protest in Vancouver this week was organized by the DoNoHarm advocacy group.

"Think hospitals should be masking, and vulnerable lives are still worth protecting? You are not alone," the group wrote on X, sharing photos of supporters outside of Dix's office. "We think @adriandix @Dave_Eby should think so too. Good turn out today, and thousands of postcards sent in the run up to the protest. Plus many more folks here in spirit."

Newsweek reached out to DoNoHarm via email for comment.