Lethbridge City Council approves face mask bylaw

Aug 24, 2020 | 5:54 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Effective immediately, the use of non-medical face masks or other face coverings are required in indoor public spaces.

Lethbridge City Council passed Bylaw 6239 Monday by a vote of 6-3. Councillors Joe Mauro, Blaine Hyggen, and Ryan Parker were opposed.

The bylaw has three requirements:

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 or at least two years of age shall ensure that the child wears a face covering while in public places or a public vehicle
A person must wear a mask in all public vehicles, such as transit buses, taxis, Uber and school buses.

There are several exceptions for the mask mandate, some of which include:

People under the age of two
Those who have a medical condition that would impede their ability to use, place, or remove a mask without assistance
People engaged in physical exercise
People providing care for someone with a disability where a face covering would hinder that caregiving or assistance
Parents, guardians, caregivers, or people accompanying a child between two and five years old who refuses to wear a mask and cannot be persuaded to do so

The penalty for violating the face mask bylaw is $100.

The bylaw will be in place until December 31, 2020, but can be extended by council at a later date.

The full document for Bylaw 6239 can be found here.

More details to come.

Face mask covering required signage. (Supplied by City of Lethbridge)

by David Opinko / Connor Gunn