To mask or not to mask?
That is the question many municipal councils have been discussing over the last number of weeks as they debate whether or not they should enact a mandatory mask bylaw.
The Barrhead Leader reached out to the mayor and reeve of Onoway and Lac Ste. Anne County to learn whether or not a mandatory mask bylaw was in place or coming and the reasoning behind their decision.
For the last number of weeks, like many areas the Lac Ste. Anne County region as captured by the Alberta Health Services (AHS) COVID-19 map has seen the number of COVID-19 cases increase substantially.
As of this writing, the afternoon of Nov. 16, the AHS COVID geospatial map shows Lac Ste. Anne County has had a total of 87 COVID cases, 31 that are active. Fifty-two people have recovered from the virus and four deaths.
Onoway
Currently, Onoway doesn't have a mandatory mask bylaw, but, mayor Judy Tracy said councillors had a robust discussion about the possibility at their Nov. 5 council meeting.
"We didn't come to a definitive conclusion but we are exploring some different avenues," she said, adding before they make a final decision council hopes to engage the public, most likely through an online survey.
One of the concerns Tracy said the council has is that if they were to enact a bylaw the municipality has very little ability to enforce it.
Like the County of Barrhead, Onoway does not have its dedicated community peace officer, as they contract out the service to Lac Ste. Anne County.
"They [CPO] have a big area to cover and it is hard to justify dedicating one officer to do that," she said.
However, she said the hope is that regardless of whether or not the municipality enacts a bylaw, council expects residents to take responsibility for their and the community's health.
"We strongly encourage people to follow Alberta Health Services rules and if you have to go out, wear a mask," Tracy said.
She added she said from her observation, the community since the COVID case numbers have started to balloon not only in Lac Ste. Anne County but across the province, residents are taking public health guidance more seriously.
"More people are covering their faces when they are out in the community, whether it is with a non-medical disposable or cloth mask or just covering their face with a scarf and are more strictly observing physical distancing than they were three months ago," Tracy said.
Lac Ste. Anne County
Although the municipality currently doesn't have a mandatory face-covering bylaw presently, they have one ready to go if council deems it is needed.
Director of emergency management Carole Peacock said the draft bylaw is similar to the ones that most other Alberta communities have enacted or have on file.
"It is a temporary, mandatory masking bylaw that would require residents to wear face coverings while in a public space or public vehicles are required," she said, adding exemptions have been in the case of small children or those that have a medical reason for not wearing a mask.
Public vehicles include such things as taxis and the municipality's community bus service, which has been temporarily suspended due to the virus.
Reeve Joe Blakeman said although they have a draft bylaw in their pocket that could be enacted in one sitting, the consensus at their Nov. 12 meeting was that the municipality wouldn't do so unless it was mandated by (AHS).
"Our biggest concern is enforcement," he said. "It isn't so bad in a town such as Mayerthorpe, or Alberta Beach, but for us in our small hamlets like Darwell or Sangudo I am not sure how we could ever enforce it."
And although Blakeman doesn't foresee council enacting their draft bylaw unless mandated to do so, he said they do recommend that when people are out in public that put on a mask.
Blakeman added it is all about taking responsibility for one's actions.
"People have to start using common sense," he said. "You don't need to go to a party where there are 30 people in a house. Take responsibility for yourselves and follow the public health guidelines."
He also agrees, much of the current rapid spread in Lac Ste. Anne County and elsewhere in the province can be attributed to the younger demographic.
"They locked themselves down for a while but in the last three months they have been anywhere and everywhere," Blakeman said.
