Mask-wearing on Hamilton buses ‘welcome’ but not required
Published June 10, 2022 at 6:00 pm
Wearing a face covering on a city bus in Hamilton ends after Friday night, but it will remain in place in other settings.
Like many other municipalities, Hamilton gave a COVID-19 update this week after direction was given by Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health. With the provincial requirement to mask on on public transit lifting, users of Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) buses will no longer have to mask. A media release from the City of Hamilton emphasized riders are still “welcome” to do so, and masking requirements will remain in place on DARTS, the city’s fleet of accessible transportation vehicles.
“Transit customers are reminded to stay home if they are feeling ill, wash their hands frequently with soap and water or use sanitizer, cover coughs or sneezes with their sleeve or tissue, and be respectful of customers and staff who may choose to continue wearing a mask,” the release said.
An estimated 573 residents of Hamilton — close to one per every 1,000 people in the city — have died with COVID-19 during the more than two-year-old pandemic. Almost all reliable indicators of local COVID-19 activity are trending positively, according to city’s dashboard.
Mayor: ‘the virus will remain a part of our lives’
Mayor Fred Eisenberger reminded residents that COVID-19 has not gone away, and people should decide when it is right for them to mask.
“As the province moves forward with the planned lifting of most mask mandates, a welcome step for many, it is crucial we remember that the virus will remain a part of our lives for the time being and that all individuals should do a personal risk assessment to help decide when masking for themselves is appropriate,” Eisenberger stated. “The City of Hamilton will continue to employ public health measures, wherever required or recommended, and continue to do our part to protect the health and wellbeing of those in our community, especially our most vulnerable.”
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Paramedics in Hamilton will be aligning their masking approach with local hospitals. Both the Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton hospital networks said Thursday they are continuing to require masking.
The city is following suit with the province with respect to long-term care and other congregate settings. Masking in long-term care and retirement homes is still provincially required.
In higher-risk congregate living settings, such as shelters and group homes, masking is recommended.
The city’s says its emergency operations centre will remain active and “will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation for any significant changes, including any new variants of concern.”
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