City Council is shying away from pushing for mandatory face masks in public buildings and transit.
Westfort Councillor Kristen Oliver says she’s seen masks being worn improperly and not fully covering the mouth and nose, and may not be much help anyway.
“I fear that wearing a mask gives people a false sense of security, and we know that, from our experts leading Canada right now through this pandemic, that handwashing and maintaining physical distancing is our best effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Oliver argues.
Councillors also voiced concerns about the city’s ability to enforce any requirement to wear masks. Rebecca Johnson says the idea is “well-meant,” but doesn’t agree with making police officers take on that responsibility.
She adds that as a representitive of the Accessibility Committee, she has heard concerns that wearing a mask can create serious obstacles for people with disabilities. Councillor Oliver echoed those concerns, pointing out some deaf residents rely on lip-reading when speaking to others.
Masks are already mandatory for all air travel at Canadian airports. Federal health officials have gone back and forth on the topic of non-medical fabric masks, but have said they can offer some protection to other people besides the wearer.