Directive issued for mandatory mask use

Wearing a mask or face covering is now mandatory for members of the public when they enter buildings in Renfrew County.

Though the number of COVID-19 cases has remained low in Renfrew County, local municipalities including Petawawa must now follow this regulation or face fines up to $800. Members of the public and business owners will be given about a week to acclimatize to the new regulation.

Fines are the last resort, however; as the health officials of Renfrew County, Ottawa and Eastern Ontario are aiming at educating residents and not penalizing them.

The regulation covers individuals who enter enclosed buildings such as businesses and municipal offices. Staff who work behind a sheet of plexiglass or do not deal with non-employees do not have to cover their faces. People do not have to wear a mask while outdoors.

This mask-wearing regulation has been put in place to protect the public as the virus can still be transmitted while people are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic. Science has shown that areas with mandatory masking do better at preventing the spread of the disease.

“It is important to note that the pandemic is not over,” said Doctor (Dr) Paul Roumeliotis, Medical Officer of Health, Eastern Ontario Health Unit. “There are hundreds of thousands of cases worldwide, particularly in the United States and mainly where examples of prematurely opening have occurred.”

By wearing masks, health officials hope to reduce cases of COVID-19 and perhaps even prevent a second wave.

During the H1N1 crisis in 2009, Eastern Ontario saw some of the highest levels of death and comorbidity in the province.

Many businesses and individuals have reached out to health officials for this regulation.

“I wear a mask to protect the person next to me,” said Doctor (Dr) Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. “I want them to wear a mask so I’m protected. It’s really about social responsibility.”