Mandatory Mask Wearing Comes Into Effect At Midnight

They say you cannot fight City Hall. For those hardy enough to give it a try you are going to have to show up wearing a mask starting Monday.

Effective Monday and for at least the next 28 days anyone in an enclosed public space must wear a mask. For the City of Moose Jaw this includes all of their facilities as well as while taking a bus.

The mandatory mask order is for all communities in the province with a population over 5,000. The rules also applies to communities with a population under 5,000 if they are in the census area of a larger community. For the Moose Jaw area this would include Belle Plaine and Pense.

The new restrictions were announced on Friday by the Province under its declared State Of Emergency under the Public Health Act,

What that means is anyone entering an indoor public space in Moose Jaw must wear a mask. People who fail to wear a mask could be fined $2,800 under the Act.

For the City of Moose Jaw that means not only do people have to wear a mask at City Hall it also means at other indoor City facilities as well as when taking Moose Jaw Transit,

There are however limited exemptions to the restrictions. The exemptions are:

• Children under 2 years of age.

• Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

• Persons actively engaged in physical exercise.

Individuals who do not meet this criteria will be denied entry to City facilities or not allowed to ride the bus.

For private facilities such as (but not limited to) stores, banks and medical offices the same rules apply.

The City reminds residents that City Hall is open from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday (excluding statutory holidays) and all visitors must complete a COVID-19 health screen before entering the lobby. The City offers a number of online payment options and the drop box in front of City Hall (228 Main St. North) is open 24 hours a day.

The new restrictions have been put in place to help stop the spread of COVID - 19 which has seen a major spike in the number of cases as the second wave of the virus has started.

On Saturday a record 308 cases were reported and on Sunday there were two more deaths including an individual in their twenties.