Ottawa bylaw officers will now be handing out fines, not warnings, to any individual or business flaunting the city’s indoor mask requirements amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The bylaw department of Ottawa stated that the “warning phase” is ending for the city’s temporary mask rules, first set in mid-July and recently expanded to at least the end of October.
Those who refuse to wear a face mask in an indoor public setting will now be subject to a possible $240 fine and any operator found to not comply with the mask requirements could face a $490 fine.
Anyone with a medical exemption to wearing a face mask will not be fined. Before now, bylaw officers had been instructed to take an educational approach to enforce the new rules.
Ottawa expanded its mask bylaw roughly three weeks ago to include the common space of apartment buildings and some outdoor spaces where large gatherings make physical distancing impossible.
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Learn more about face masks and how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workspaces and schools or the available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
Our courses maintain social distancing measures with reduced class sizes to maintain the minimum 2 meters apart along with the mandatory use of face masks and regular temperature checks. The venue of the courses undergo regular, enhanced cleaning and disinfection routines.
For more information about face masks, check out these sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-51205344
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/about-face-coverings.html