NEWS RELEASE
TOWN OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
************************
The Town of The Blue Mountains would like to advise residents that the mandatory face-covering bylaw will be considered for enactment at the council meeting on Monday, Dec. 14, 2020. If enacted, the bylaw will come into force effective immediately.
The bylaw is consistent with the current provincial order, in that the town bylaw mandates that a mask or face covering must be worn inside all public establishments and enclosed public spaces. The only difference is that the mandatory face-covering bylaw places the responsibility of wearing a mask equally on both the business owner/operator and the customer or individual within the indoor public space.
Through the bylaw, the town has the ability to enforce these guidelines to ensure public safety.
The mandatory face-covering bylaw serves as a reinforcement to the provincial government’s mandatory mask Regulation 364/20 and will not conflict with the provincial regulations, but will instead focus on encouraging, promoting and educating residents, businesses and organizations on wearing masks or face coverings and the impact it has on reducing the transmission of COVID-19.
“The health and safety of our community remains the town’s top priority,” says Mayor Alar Soever. “The advice from both provincial and federal public health officials have made clear that wearing a mask or face covering can help our ongoing efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.”
With the implementation of the mandatory face-covering bylaw, members of the public will be required to wear a mask or face covering inside all public establishments, including, but not limited to:
- Retail stores
- Restaurants, supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries and convenience stores
- Churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and other places of worship
- Indoor sports and recreational facilities, pavilions and clubhouses
- Shopping malls or similar structure which contains multiple places of business
- Businesses providing personal care services
- Hotels, motels, apartment buildings, condominiums, townhouse complexes (including those that permit short-term rentals)
For more information and details on the fines associated with the mandatory face-covering bylaw, please visit: www.thebluemountains.ca/masks.cfm.
Wearing a mask or face covering is just one recommendation to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and members of the public are reminded to follow other current public health guidelines including: limiting contact to only those in your household, practising physical distancing of at least two metres, and washing your hands regularly with soap or sanitizer for at least 20 seconds.
*************************
