Hamilton mask bylaw on the horizon
Mayor says proposed policy — awaiting council approval next week — aims to make face coverings mandatory in indoor public spaces
Hamilton is following the lead of other municipalities in making masks mandatory in public indoor spaces to curb the spread of coronavirus.
A bylaw is heading to Friday’s board of health discussion. If it passes there, it will require a final nod of approval by council on July 17.
“I expect that council will unanimously support this going forward, but I know that there’s broad community support for this as well,” Mayor Fred Eisenberger said Tuesday.
The bylaw aims to make masks obligatory for everyone except children under the age of two and people with underlying health conditions that prevent them from covering their faces.
Eisenberger said the legislation would include commercial areas, retail spaces, places of worship and public transit.
“This may be our new paradigm, new norm.”
It’s already taking root in other Ontario municipalities. On Tuesday, regulations making masks mandatory in indoor spaces in Toronto took effect after that city passed a bylaw last week. Burlington civic leaders expect to discuss a proposed mandatory mask bylaw
Thursday with a final vote at council July 13.
That’s also when a health unit order requires face-coverings in public indoor spaces in Simcoe County and Muskoka.
Dr. Elizabeth Richardson, Hamilton’s medical officer of health, said strong evidence in recent weeks showing that masks help reduce virus spread convinced officials to recommend the proposed bylaw.
“Some additional studies have continued to come out that suggest that masks do make a significant difference.”
Richardson described masks as a form of “source control,” which means, “my mask is protecting you and your mask is protecting me.”
If approved, the bylaw would add “teeth” to a policy since June 22 that required most transit riders to wear them, said Paul Johnson, director of the city’s Emergency Operations Centre. Estimates by HSR supervisors put the compliance rate around 70 per cent in the early days, but that has since slipped to around 60 per cent as ridership increases, he said.
Johnson said the city doesn’t have enough bylaw officers to inspect every indoor space or bus, nor is there a plan to hire new ones. There will be an emphasis on education, but “egregious” cases will still require a heavier hand, he suggested.
Johnson recalled how bylaw cracked down on businesses “packing people into their lobby” or house parties of 30 people or more.