Masks Mandates
TL:DR GameKnight will be lowering its mask mandates one step, from "Required" to "Strongly Recommended and Preferred" and no longer require proof of vaccination for in-store gaming.
Since the provincial mask mandate was dropped in mid March, GameKnight has maintainted a 100% mask requirement in-store in an effort to protect both our staff and our community. We stand by this decision, but we always knew that EVENTUALLY, we would lower that requirement. The question and the struggle has been deciding WHEN to do so.
There is no easy answer to that. No matter what we decide, when we decide it, or how we go about implementing a change, there will inevitably be some that are disappointed, upset, discouraged or outright angry. I wish we could please everyone, but that's just not feasible in the divided landscape in which we find ourselves these days.
We have been weighing the options available to us, deliberating, talking with our crew, and looking at what the ramifications of those options might be. We are aware that by lowering the mask requirement even a single step could end up with every customer unmasked in our store. But we are also aware that it is truly not feasible nor healthy to prohibit food and drink when someone might be playing in a 4-hour long minis game or even a 12-hour long tournament.
After an incredible amount of deliberation, stress, anxiety and sleepless nights, we've made the decision to reduce the mask requirement at GameKnight by one step, from "Required" to "Strongly Recommended and Preferred", and removing our vaccination requirements for in-store events.
We hope that the majority of our community will continue to wear them, and they will ALWAYS be welcome in our store. Our staff will continue to wear masks, and we will be keeping our plexiglass barriers for the foreseeable future. Our hand sanitizing stations will become a permanent fixture in our store.
The world has changed, and everyone has changed with it. There are many opinions on this matter, and we've heard and listened to many of them.
We hope that everyone can embrace understanding, respect, grace and gratitude, and that we can all continue to be the lovely gamers I know we are at heart.
Thank you all, our most amazing community, customers and crew,
GameKnight Management
