Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – July 19, 2021 – When will the mask bylaw be lifted?

Mayor's Mailbag
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Welcome to the Mayor’s Monday Mailbag, an initiative Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor’s Office has launched to share weekly answers to questions from the public we’ve received through our main email inbox at mayor@burlington.ca or the Mayor’s social media platforms.At the end of the month, we’ll publish a roundup of those most pressing questions we’ve received in the weeks prior.Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – July 19, 2021QUESTION:“COVID-19 case numbers are low, vaccination rates are only increasing, and restrictions are being lifted -- so why do I still have to wear a mask? When will the mask mandate be lifted?”ANSWER:Throughout the pandemic, the Mayor, Council and City of Burlington have followed the advice of our Halton Medical Officer of Health (MOH) and will continue to do so. Mask mandates and bylaws are currently in effect at the City of Burlington, the Region of Halton and the Province of Ontario.The City's mask bylaw and the Regional mask bylaw are currently in place until Dec. 31, 2021, unless extended further or lifted earlier.At the Halton Regional Council meeting of July 7, 2021, Mayor Meed Ward did raise the question of when the mask bylaw could be lifted. We heard from the Halton MOH that it will still be needed for the months ahead. Click here for a video recording of the discussion at Regional Council (see the 40:20 mark).There is currently no indication from the Province or Region that the mask mandates will be lifted soon, and the City of Burlington will be looking to lift our mask bylaw in concert with the other government bodies.Decisions throughout the pandemic have been made and based on a multiple of health indicators, including (but not exclusive to) hospital capacity, infection rates, positivity rates and vaccination rates.Halton Public Health continues to monitor and report on these COVID-19 indicators. To learn more about them, please call 311 or email accesshalton@halton.ca or visit the webpage here and click on the various tabs to search the information you wish to see: https://www.halton.ca/For-Residents/Immunizations-Preventable-Disease/Diseases-Infections/New-Coronavirus/Status-of-COVID-19-Cases-in-HaltonFor now, it is critically important to keep masks as another layer of protection.If you would like to discuss the Provincial mask mandate with your local MPPs, their contact information can be found here:

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—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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Mayor Meed Ward’s Weekly Update: July 19-25, 2021