Vancouver’s ‘Hugs Over Masks’ Group Rode The Skytrain In Protest Yesterday

On the first day of new mandatory guidelines instructing the public to wear masks on Translink vehicles, Vancouver anti maskers protested by commuting while breaking the rules.

On Monday, August 24, about half a dozen people with "Hugs Over Masks" rode Vancouver's Skytrain to Metrotown Station without wearing face coverings, according to posts on social media.

Once they arrived, they planned to "educate" locals about the "exemptions and real danger and harm from masks in public."

Photos of the event showed participants holding signs, some of which read "facts over fear" and "freedom is essential."

That same day, B.C. introduced rules that made wearing masks mandatory on the province's buses and trains; however, while transit operators can remind riders to cover their faces, they can't deny them entry for not following along.