Are more jurisdictions likely to make masks mandatory in the future? Many seem to be making moves in that direction. For example, health officials in Ontario’s Waterloo region are currently talking to business owners about what they would like to see in a mask or face covering policy. Mulligan, who sits on the Toronto Board of Health …
Are there other concerns about mandatory mask laws? Like Loeb, Zwibel questions whether there’s enough scientific evidence yet to support mandatory mask laws covering a wide range of public places. She said there are a lot of indoor spaces where physical distancing is possible. “So, I think we’re sort of a long way from seeing a really …
How are mask laws being enforced? In Côte Saint-Luc, Que, those who don’t follow the bylaw risk fines of up to $500. Most other authorities, such as the Ottawa and Toronto transit authorities, say they plan to focus more on education than penalties. That said, both Côte Saint-Luc and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph are asking businesses to bar people …
Where in Canada are masks mandatory so far? Most mandatory mask regulations in Canada so far concern transportation situations where people may have trouble physically distancing. Transport Canada made masks mandatory for air passengers starting in April. Some transit agencies in Ontario have announced that masks will be mandatory on buses, streetcars and trains, including Ottawa, …
Most research on masks so far has involved medical settings or households with a person known to be infected, said Dr. Mark Loeb, a McMaster University professor who studies infectious diseases and recently reviewed the evidence on masks and the spread of respiratory illnesses. When it comes to mask wearing in the wider community, most …
How good is the evidence that mandatory mask laws reduce transmission? A recent study by a German non-profit economic think-tank compared regions in Germany that implemented mandatory mask laws at different times (before the entire country made masks mandatory in stores and transit on April 27). The study, which was published on the group’s website but …
Why do some advocates think voluntary recommendations aren’t good enough? A national group of health-care professionals and epidemiologists called Masks4Canada and a group in Quebec have recently called for more laws making masks mandatory in certain circumstances. Masks4Canada has written an open letter to federal health officials asking them to recommend such laws to lower levels of government for: All indoor spaces outside the home, …
Some communities across Canada have started making non-medical face masks mandatory on public transit — or even in businesses or indoor spaces — to curb the spread of COVID-19. Some doctors and epidemiologists are calling for such laws to be more widespread. But others warn about the potential negative impacts and say the scientific evidence …
