Lethbridge City Hall. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

A look at Lethbridge’s proposed city-wide face mask bylaw

Aug 9, 2020 | 6:00 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – It could soon be a requirement that face masks must be worn in all indoor, enclosed public spaces in Lethbridge.

A bylaw is expected to be introduced at Monday’s city council meeting that would mandate the use of face masks or other face coverings and impose penalties for those in violation.

The document can be read in full here.

It is set for first reading at their Monday, August 10 meeting and would need to pass all three readings before potentially being approved.

Under the proposed bylaw, a “face covering” would entail a medical or non-medical mask or other face covering that fully covers the nose, mouth, and chin.

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It would require two things:

• A person must wear a face covering at all times while in an indoor, enclosed, or substantially enclosed public place or in a public vehicle
• A person accompanying a child of at least two years of age shall ensure that the child wears a face covering while in public places or public vehicles.

There are several circumstances where a person would be exempt from these requirements. They include:

• A person under the age of two
• People unable to place, use, or remove a face covering without assistance
• People unable to wear a face covering by reason of a protected ground under the Alberta Human Rights Act
• People consuming food or drinks in designated areas or as part of a religious or spiritual ceremony
• People engaged in aquatics or physical exercise
• People providing care to a person with a disability where a face covering would hinder the caregiving or assistance
• People engaging in services that require the temporary removal of a face covering
• People who are sleeping or in a bed at a homeless shelter
• Parents, guardians, caregivers, or a person accompanying a child between the ages of two or five and who refuses to wear a face-covering

If the proposed bylaw were to be approved by city council, anyone in violation would be subject to a fine of $100. Failure to pay could result in up to six months in jail.

Face masks have been identified as a way of reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 in circumstances where physical distancing is not possible.

The use of masks are already required in publicly-accessible indoor spaces owned or operated by the City of Lethbridge. More details here.