Mayors want masks made mandatory
Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area leaders call for tougher rules
Mayors from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area are urging Premier Doug Ford and provincial health officials to make wearing masks mandatory to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
“The mayors and chairs unanimously agree to request to the government of Ontario to implement a mandatory face covering measure for large municipalities,” said a statement Monday on their behalf from Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti.
“Every person wearing a face covering properly is protecting those around them from the risk of virus spread,” said the mayors’ statement, which was shared on Twitter by Toronto Mayor John Tory.
“We are at a critical time in the fight against COVID-19. We may do everything we can to avoid flare-ups of the virus in our communities.”
Scarpitti said the mayors and regional chairs would work with their local medical officers of health “to explore how they can best advance the universal wearing of non-medical masks and face coverings inside businesses and other indoor places where the public gathers, including on transit.”
Ford, who recommends wearing a mask indoors in a public space or outside when a safe physical distancing of two metres apart cannot be maintained, said municipalities already have the power to mandate face coverings. Enforcement is also up to civic governments.
But the premier said it would be difficult to force all Ontarians to wear masks.
“You just can’t enforce it. You go up to the rural areas way up north, and there’s no cases (of COVID-19), as much as we can tell and … they aren’t wearing masks. I encourage everyone, but we just can’t enforce it,” Ford said Friday.
“It’s up to the chief medical officer. I’ve talked to Mayor Scarpitti about this and the chief medical officer of York Region. That’s their choice. If the chief medical officer of Toronto wants to implement that, they’re welcome to under Section 22 (of the Health Protection and Promotion Act),” he said.
“They have a lot of power to change things. So, if the community, the mayors and everyone wants to do that … good luck to them. I don’t disagree, by the way.”
Ontario’s associate medical officer of health said Monday that the province would not rule out a mandatory mask order, but for now is “strongly recommending” face coverings in situations where physical distancing is a challenge.
“We would consider every option as it goes along, depending on the evidence. If we see a lot of people are not complying, it may be better to have mandatory,” said Dr. Barbara Yaffe.
One complication with mandatory province-wide orders is there are a number of health units across the province that have had no coronavirus cases for weeks.