Hamilton's mandatory mask bylaw would take effect July 20 if council approves it

Hamilton's board of health is set to vote Friday to enact a new bylaw making it mandatory to wear masks or face coverings in enclosed public settings, as members of the public once again frequent businesses and other facilities as part of the COVID-19 reopening process.

And if ratified on July 17, the bylaw would take effect July 20 and be reviewed by the board every three months unless city council directs otherwise.

Under the new bylaw, all persons or organizations with custody or control over an enclosed space open to the public would be required to ensure that people wear masks as a condition of entry.

It would also require the posting of sufficient and appropriate signs notifying staff and members of the public of the requirement that they wear masks.

Provision would be in place to permit appropriate exemptions for people who are unable to wear a mask for medical reasons, children under two-years-old (or up to five-years-old if the child refuses), and other reasonable accommodations.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger would also ask the provincial and federal governments to do the same in all of their Hamilton facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization on March 11.

Cases are currently stable, and Hamilton has entered Stage 2 of the reopening process. 

Twenty-eight people in Hamilton are known to have COVID-19 right now. The city says there have been a total of 858 known cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton, which is up two from Wednesday. On this number, 786 cases have now been resolved.

The number of Hamilton deaths from COVID-19 stands at 44.

Brant

Only one person in Brant/Brantford has COVID-19 and that person is currently not in hospital.

There have been 124 total COVID-19 cases. Of those, 119 people have recovered and four have died.

Haldimand-Norfolk

There are 17 active cases of COVID-19 in Haldimand-Norfolk.

The total of 444 lab-confirmed cases hasn't changed since Friday. Of those, 32 have died and 395 have recovered.

Halton

There are 48 active cases in the Halton region. The number of confirmed cases has increased by four since Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 866.

The virus has killed 25 people and 793 have recovered. 

In Burlington,11 people are known to have the virus right now, which is up two since Wednesday. The city has seen 177 cases, of which 159 have recovered and seven have died.

Niagara

The number of people in Niagara currently known to have COVID-19 remains at 26. One more person has recovered, for a total of 682, and 61 people have died. All told, the area has seen 769 confirmed cases, up one from Wednesday. 

There are outbreaks at Tabor Manor and Garden City Manor in St. Catharines.