It’s official, Mississauga residents must continue masking up until well into next year
Published September 17, 2021 at 9:28 am
Mississauga residents must continue to wear masks in public indoor spaces until the end of next March, City Council decided this week.
As the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic takes hold, councillors accepted a recommendation from Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel Region’s medical officer of health, that the current mandatory mask bylaw in Mississauga be extended to March 31, 2022.
In an interview with Insauga.com Publisher Khaled Iwamura, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said she agrees with Loh’s recommendation.
“Until we know it’s safe to take it off, of course we have to wear the mask…unless you’re outside in open air, not near people,” said Crombie, noting even outdoors she plans to wear the mask more often to set an example, as a politician.
In recommending the extension, Loh cites new data that shows COVID-19 rates are on the rise again and that masking is a strong deterrent to the spread of the virus.
“Given the ongoing risks of COVID-19 to Peel residents, an extension of the Municipal Mandatory Face Covering Bylaws is necessary to help reduce the impact of the fourth wave,” Loh writes in his message to local councils.
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As of Aug. 30, Peel has seen a one-week 18 per cent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases due the fast-spreading Delta variant, according to health department data.
The masking bylaw requires everyone except very small children and those with certain medical conditions to wear a medical mask inside public indoor spaces
“While there are no content changes required to the municipal bylaws, it is recommended that the bylaws be extended through to March 31, 2022, at which point in time we expect a higher proportion of Peel residents will be vaccinated against COVID-19, including a significant proportion of the currently ineligible 5–11-year-old population,” Loh states.
Currently, 74 per cent of the population age 12 and over is fully vaccinated in Peel.
Meanwhile, the City will offer more details on its COVID-19 plan at a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning.
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