Anti-mask protesters gather outside Dr. Strang's home, make prank calls

Hours before Nova Scotia removed most of its COVID-19 public health restrictions, a handful of anti-mask protesters gathered outside the home of the province's chief medical officer of health.

Dr. Robert Strang was home at the time of the protest and confronted one of the protesters, who was parked in a car near the driveway to his home, around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

After a brief conversation, Strang took down the licence plate number of the car and called the police.

The protesters brought signs that read "unmask our children" and "stop the mandates."

RCMP officers closed off the street to Strang's home temporarily, to halt any other protesters who were looking to make a scene.

No arrests were made.

“I want to thank the RCMP who were on site making sure that we were kept safe, but it is somewhat disturbing to have this continuing,” Strang said during an interview with CTV Morning Live Monday morning.

“I’m not quite sure what point they’re trying to make at this stage in the pandemic.”

Strang said the protesters also made prank phone calls to his Halifax-area home at 2 a.m. Monday.

“Very unfortunate, and a very small group that I know the vast majority of Nova Scotians have no kind of tolerance for,” he said.

Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, speaks with CTV Morning Live on March 21, 2022.

Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia's chief medical officer of health, speaks with CTV Morning Live on March 21, 2022.

At midnight -- roughly two years after the first COVID-19 cases were announced in Nova Scotia -- most public health restrictions, like masking requirements in public places, were lifted in the province.

Other restrictions, such as gathering and capacity limits in public spaces and for businesses across all sectors, like restaurants, gyms and event centres, were also removed.

Some businesses may still choose to require masking and distancing, but they are no longer required to.

On Friday, public health said masks will remain mandatory for two more weeks in public schools, citing the advice of a panel of pediatric health experts at the IWK Health Centre, who said, while COVID-19 cases are trending downwards, the actual number of cases and hospitalizations in the province remains high.

Masks are also still required in health-care settings, long-term care homes and adult residential centres.