City council voted 5-1 on Monday night to make non-surgical masks mandatory in city facilities, which will come into effect on Sept. 20 at the earliest.
The cities for Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert already have mask mandates in place.
Lead Medical Health Officer for Rural Integrated Health Dr. David Torr and Medical Health Officers Dr. Ashok Chhetri and Dr. Stanley Enebeli gave a presentation to city council about the COVID-19 situation.
Their presentation showed that we are in a surge with increasing case rates, hospitalizations and deaths.
Their recommendation was mandatory immunizations for health care workers, students, parents, teachers, school staff and provincial and municipal employees as well as mandatory masks in all indoor facilities.
Torr said, with the Delta variant, vaccination numbers need to increase substantially.
“For the delta variant, we need a higher level really to get herd immunization, so we're talking well above 80 per cent, above 85 per cent, of the population getting immunized,” he said.
Also addressing city council was local physician and chief family practice officer for southwest 1, 2 and 3 networks, Dr. Brandon Thorpe.
“If we do not have masking mandate at Mosaic Place, and if we don't have vaccines in the place, the physicians will not be able to attend the games. And if we can't attend the games, then the team can't play,” Thorpe said.
He also presented to the councillors over the weekend letter that was sent to Moose Jaw’s MLAs pleading for public health measures such as mandatory masks.
Coun. Crystal Froese said the letters that a lot about the situation the province is in right now.
“The two documents that Dr. Thorpe sent us, and they were sent to our MLAs, are signed by 23 doctors from our community, and then the second document that we have is from the Senior Medical Health Officer, Saskatchewan Health Authority with 17 recommendations, 17. They couldn't be louder and clearer on this issue, they just really couldn't,” Froese said.
When discussing whether to implement a masking mandate at city facilities, frustration started to boil over from councillors and Acting Mayor Dawn Luhning over the inaction from the provincial government.
Luhning said it shouldn’t be up to the municipality when health care is under the provincial umbrella and not municipalities.
“Absolutely now what we have to do something. But I think I speak on behalf of my colleagues on council here, and I mean they can speak up as well obviously, but we're all very disappointed in the province’s non-leadership in this,” she said.
Luhning made the motion to make non-surgical masks mandatory in city facilities. It was amended to Coun. Jamey Logan to exempt those doing physical activities like sports or working out and that city administration use best practices from other municipalities.
“I want to protect other people and I encourage everybody to wear a mask because you might think that oh it's an imposition but at the same time, you're trying to protect the citizens,” Logan said.
“I also want to protect the business. I don't want to see the Warriors not have a game here. I don't want to see the curling shut down.”
The lone descending voice was Coun. Kim Robinson, who felt he needed more evidence in order to ask a healthy person to wear a mask.
“I don't see any credible data that says masking a healthy person is helping anybody. I, myself, am vaccinated although I apparently got the wrong one. AstraZeneca doesn't help me with international travel or anything. But if you're sick, then wear a mask, but to mandate it then. I'm not going to support this at all,” Robinson said.
City administration will be consulting third-party facilities such as the library and art gallery as well to see where they stand on a mask mandate.
More details on what facilities will be affected are expected to be released in the coming days.
Thu, Apr 25, 6:00 PM
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