Anyone going into any kind of indoor public space in Chatham-Kent will now have to be wearing a mask to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
There are some exceptions to the rule, including for people with medical issues, but Manager of Legal Services, David Taylor, says enforcement of the bylaw will be a work in progress.
“The matter did come up quite quickly, so we’re actually working out those details of what enforcement steps will be taken,” Taylor explains. “There may also be some proactive enforcement just to get education out to businesses about the bylaw and making sure there’s signs in place, but also certainly complaints can be provided to the municipality.”
Taylor says he believes most Chatham-Kent residents wanted the bylaw and will be happy to comply.
“There’s going to be some people that try to get around this, but I don’t think that really should be the focus because really what that requires is somebody saying ‘I’m going to lie about having a disability’ in order to take advantage of an exception that’s in the bylaw to reflect that there might be times when people have medical issues that would prevent them from putting a mask on or would cause issues with them wearing a mask, so we really hope that is not the case.”
Taylor says bylaw officers could investigate suspected false claims, but the onus won’t be on business owners to try to enforce that.
Mayor Darrin Canniff says they’re also relying on advice from other communities on how they handled complaints and compliance,
Dr David Colby, who wasn’t initially in favour of such a bylaw, says he’s glad other safety measures, including physical distancing, are included in the wording.
“I think it’s very progressive of Chatham-Kent to have the provision of physical distancing and hand hygiene that’s going to be added to this bylaw,” Dr Colby says. “Those are measures that are the most important ones when it comes to preventing infections in the community.”
Anyone with concerns or complaints about mask usage can call the Civic Centre at 519-360-1998.
