Face coverings will be mandatory for customers at businesses in Hastings and Prince Edward counties effective at noon on Friday, July 10th.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) issued a letter to local business owners and operators on Tuesday (July 7).
This was the same day the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit issued similar instructions to businesses in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton.
Two of the three health units in the greater Kawarthas region — with Peterborough Public Health being the exception — have now issued instructions to business owners and operators under the authority of Ontario Regulation 263/20 of the provincial Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA). This is the emergency order covering the province’s stage two reopening and states that businesses must comply with “the advice, recommendations and instructions of public health officials”.
These instructions, which previously included requirements for physical distancing, cleaning, and disinfecting, now include face coverings. HPEPH is directing businesses and commercial establishments operating in Hastings and Prince Edward counties to have policies must be in place — effective at 12 p.m. on Friday, July 10th — to ensure that people entering indoor commercial premises are wearing non-medical masks and face coverings, with some exceptions.
“Wearing a non-medical mask or face covering is an additional preventive measure that, when combined with other infection control efforts, will help further reduce the spread of COVID-19,” says Dr. Alexa Caturay, HPEPH’s acting medical officer of health. “Clear policies in commercial establishments will help reinforce use of non-medical masks and face coverings. We are committed to working together with local municipalities and businesses to implement appropriate, proactive, infection control approaches and keep our community safe.”
There have been 43 positive cases of COVID-19 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties since the pandemic began, with 37 of these cases resolved. The last positive COVID-19 case was reported on May 18.
In her July 7th letter to business owners and operators advising them of the instructions (see copy of letter below), Dr. Caturay recognizes the community’s collective success at keeping case counts low, but states that this “diligent work must continue.”
“While the science on the use of non-medical masks or face coverings by the general public is evolving, there is a growing body of evidence on the effectiveness of these measures in enclosed public spaces to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” Dr. Caturay writes.
“We know that most people are already participating and doing what’s right for our community by following the measures we have recommended, including wearing face coverings in public spaces. Our data also tells us that most Canadians support these measures becoming mandatory in order for everyone to feel safe and comfortable in their day-to-day lives.”
PDF: Medical Officer of Health Letter to Employers, Business Owners, and Operators in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties
Medical Officer of Health Letter to Employers, Business Owners, and Operators in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties
Dr. Caturay’s letter also outlines the exemptions to the requirement for wearing a face mask (see fact sheet below). The wording is similar to instructions issued by all other health units in Ontario that have made face masks mandatory.
Fact Sheet: Face Covering Requirements for Commercial Establishments in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties
- Face coverings or non-medical masks are strongly recommended throughout the HPEPH catchment area, in all public situations where physical distancing may not be possible.
- In addition, effective 12:00 pm on July 10, 2020, commercial businesses operating in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties (HPEC) are required to have a policy in place that prohibits entry to individuals who are not wearing a non-medical mask/face covering.
- These policies will be enforced “in good faith” with a focus on education and reminders about requirements under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act Stage 2.
- Those who do not comply with these requirements may be liable for a fine of $750 to $1,000 for an individual, to a maximum of $100,000 or in the case of a corporation, not more than $10,000,000 for each day or part of each day on which the offence occurs or continues.
- A person shall be exempt from wearing a non-medical mask or face covering on the premises if:
- the person is a child under the age of two years; or a child under the age of five years chronologically or developmentally and cannot be persuaded to wear a face covering by their caregiver;
- the person has a medical condition rendering them unable to wear a non-medical mask or face covering safely;
- the person cannot apply or remove a non-medical mask or face covering without assistance;
- the person cannot wear a non-medical mask or face covering or cannot cover their face in a way that would appropriately control the source of droplets for reasons of religion or other protections under the Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H. 19, as amended;
- the person is employed by or an agent of the operator of an enclosed public space and that space is not designated for public access and within or behind a physical barrier (i.e. Plexiglass).
- Businesses throughout the HPEC region shall also ensure that the place of business or facility is operated to enable members of the public in the place of business or facility to, to the fullest extent possible, maintain a physical distance of at least two metres from other persons. In additional, all businesses must comply with instructions from public health regarding infection control, hand hygiene, cleaning, and disinfecting.
For information about how to wear a mask safely, please visit hpepublichealth.ca
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