Analysis Paper

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School

University of Guelph *

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3250

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Political Science

Date

Dec 6, 2023

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pdf

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1 Masking and Vaccine Mandates in Ontario and Alberta Ethan Meyer University of Guelph POLS*3250 - Public policy: Challenges and Pr Professor Nanita Mohan November 17, 2023
2 Introduction: Across Canada, 4,795,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 and the virus has contributed to 55,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2023). If not for public health measures imposed on citizens across Canada, the number of people infected and the death toll would be noticeably higher. Public health measures taken effectively helped curb the spread of COVID-19 and were beneficial in saving lives. In Ontario and Alberta, public health measures such as mask and vaccine mandates were imposed to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Through multiple streams theory and framing theory, a more in-depth examination can be taken into these policy processes with regard to their formulation and implementation. These theories will measure the issues of COVID-19 and explain the response taken by the government. The following paper indicates through multiple streams theory and framing theory why masking and vaccine mandates were imposed in Ontario and Alberta to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Province 1: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario imposed masking and vaccine mandates to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Early on in the pandemic, personal protective equipment such as masks were widely used to help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. Essentially masks became required in all indoor settings across Ontario through mandates (Wu et al., 2020). The masking mandate was issued as a response to the drastic increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Masks proved to be effective in reducing the spread of the illness and protecting individuals coming into contact with others (Wu et al., 2020). To impose this mandate, it was introduced by the 34 individual public health regions in the province from June 2020 to September 2020 (Peng et al., 2023). When the Ontario government imposed a masking mandate,
3 there was some backlash from a portion of the public who did not think the mandate was necessary. Since COVID-19 was so new to many, masking was seen as unnecessary as the impacts and consequences were not yet realized by the majority of the public. When the public was made aware of the dangers of COVID-19 masks became widely accepted in society. To test the effectiveness of the masking mandate, weekly reported case counts were observed for either an increase or decrease (Peng et al., 2023). However later on, observing weekly case counts did end up becoming an ineffective method to determine the effectiveness of the masking mandate when increased public health measures were imposed such as physical distancing, sanitizing of hands and vaccines, etc. Masking in Ontario was a very quick response by the government, where the masking policy was formulated effectively and introduced to the public appropriately. Weeks after the masking mandate was put into effect newly diagnosed infections decreased by 25% - 31%, (Ju, Boisvert & Zou, 2021 ). Ultimately, the Ontario government's masking mandate was an appropriate and effective policy that helped reduce the transmission of COVID-19. In Ontario vaccination efforts also began at the start of the pandemic after the approval of the Moderna and Pfizer mRNA vaccines by Canada. The provincial government did a respectable job distributing vaccines to the public and adopting a vaccine mandate. First doses were given to the most vulnerable populations and then distributed to other categories in the population (Gerretsen et al., 2021). As doses were readily more available and offered to the public, there were still groups of the population who were refusing to be vaccinated. This created a public health issue in Ontario as the province was begging to return to in-person activities and gatherings. To help solve this problem, so that in-person activities could return and businesses open without significantly increasing COVID-19 cases, the Ontario government implemented
4 mandatory vaccination requirements in September 2021 (AlShurman et al., 2023). This vaccine mandate required an individual to show proof of vaccination to be allowed to enter most businesses and settings, be able to work in certain jobs, and travel. Imposing a vaccine mandate caused a lot of uproar and rift amongst citizens in Ontario and all of Canada, leading to the truckers' convoys that converged on Ottawa to protest. Some Ontarians viewed the vaccine mandates as an infringement on their rights by the government, although the objective of the vaccine mandate in Ontario was to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as the province began to reopen. Imposing a vaccine mandate helped fast-track the process of re-opening, but also caused a shift in public attitudes towards COVID-19 (Gerretsen et al., 2021). To effectively measure the vaccine mandate the number of COVID-19 cases was used. ICU patients who were vaccinated and not vaccinated were tracked and compared. As well, the total number of cases per week was examined for increases and decreases from weeks prior. Evidence that showed COVID-19 cases were decreasing meant that vaccine mandates were effectively stopping the spread of COVID-19 since only vaccinated people were able to attend social settings in public (Grewal et al., 2023). In summary, the strict mandating of vaccines in the province was a needed feature but should have been implemented more appropriately in order to avoid unintended consequences and poor public attitudes. Province 2: Much like most of Canada, Alberta adopted masking and vaccine mandates throughout the course of the pandemic to control COVID-19. Based on certain parts of the province and their public health sectors, mandatory indoor masking depended on the location. Alberta became the only province in November 2020, without a provincial masking mandate as in only certain areas it was mandated by public health regions. Public health regions across the province were tasked
5 with creating their own COVID-19 safety measures (Waldner et al., 2021). This made many regions have mandatory masking before other regions, but eventually, in December 2020, a provincial masking mandate was announced. When the provincial masking mandate was announced many Albertans opposed the directives of the provincial government. This led to anti-mask protests and rallies held to oppose the new mandate. Many Albertans did not understand that masks are indeed important to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The main objective of Alberta's mask mandate was to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and was a way for individuals to protect themselves. During the beginning of the pandemic, Alberta had one of the lowest compliances when it came to public health recommendations like masking at 37% (Waldner et al., 2021). With such low compliance with public health measures COVID-19 cases and outbreaks dramatically increased. As the pandemic worsened, compliance with public health measures were then taken more seriously. In summary, masking in Alberta was first implemented in certain areas of the province by public health regions for all indoor areas or spaces where people were not able to safely physically distance themselves from one another. The masking mandate proved to be necessary and was effective in preventing COVID-19 cases. To protect many Albertas and reduce the spread of COVID-19, vaccine mandates were instituted in Alberta for indoor activities, jobs that dealt with vulnerable populations, and kids going back to school. Alberta's vaccine-mandated response was very lackluster with certain public health regions having indoor vaccination policies before other regions (Maquiling, Jeevakanthan & Fane, 2023). Depending on where an individual lived there were different vaccine mandates, until Alberta announced that it was going to have a provincial proof of vaccination mandate in September 2021. To help increase those vaccinated in the province, a
6 100-dollar incentive was included for those who received doses and a 1 million dollar lottery draw for the vaccinated. After the mandate announcement, a study in Alberta found a 300% increase in those being vaccinated (Karaivanov et al., 2022). Staggering rates of vaccination were found to be from the vaccine mandate as well as the incentive that helped push COVID-19 vaccination. After the mandate was announced vaccination increased significantly but over the course of the pandemic Alberta would have one of the lowest vaccination rates (Faye, Perrin & Trumpy, 2022). Vaccine mandates in Alberta were among the least strict in the country in terms of restrictions. Although restrictions were lower than in other provinces, the vaccine mandate still effectively interfered with people's everyday lives causing protests all over the province. The southern border crossing in Coutts, Alberta was blockaded by protestors during the early months of 2022. These protestors were a part of the freedom convoy movement across Canada demanding the end of the Vaccine mandates. The vaccine mandate's objective was to reduce viral transmission and also increase vaccine uptake among Albertans (Karaivanov et al., 2022). If an individual was vaccinated they could participate in most forms of ‘normal life’, but someone who was not vaccinated was limited to what they were able to do in public. Over the course of the pandemic, vaccine mandates proved to be successful in Alberta by increasing uptake and reducing the spread of COVID-19. Theory 1: Multiple streams theory is an optimal theory to help explain why mask and vaccine mandates were imposed in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ontario and Alberta, masking mandates were very similar in the restrictions imposed on the general public. Most indoor spaces in the two provinces required that an individual wear a mask to be allowed entry. In terms of carrying out the mandate, Ontario left it
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