Ontario’s Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit has implemented a public health order mandating masks or face coverings in public places in the region to help slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The order will take effect on Tuesday, according to the public health unit and will be up for review on Sep. 30 of this year.
Masks and face coverings will be required in any indoor public spaces that are accessible to the general public, the health unit said.
The order is meant to allow for greater safety as businesses and services reopen to the public over the summer, the health unit said.
“Evidence shows that wearing a mask or face covering, such as a bandana, scarf or cloth that covers the mouth and nose, can help contain the spread of COVID-19 when used in combination with staying home when ill, frequent handwashing and practicing physical distancing,” the public health unit said.
The order comes just over a week after KFL&A Public Health, the neighbouring health unit, implemented the same order in their region. The Ottawa Public Health Unit will also be implementing mandatory masking on Tuesday.
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Public Health Unit said it will be providing information and consultation to business owners in the coming week to help educate them on the mandatory face-covering order.