No tickets issued in first weekend of Calgary’s mandatory mask bylaw

The City of Calgary says no tickets were issued during the first weekend in which face coverings were mandatory in indoor public spaces.

Calgary’s mandatory mask bylaw went into effect on Saturday. The bylaw includes public vehicles but excludes places where there is an enrolment or membership requirement, such as schools and educational institutions.

Speaking to Global News Morning Calgary on Tuesday, Kay Choi, from the city’s community standards department, said the weekend was a success.

“Calgarians care in the time of crisis. We came together as a community and we demonstrated that we’re better together in the fight against COVID-19.”

Choi said they were not contacted with any concerns regarding mask compliance in taxis or ride-hailing services – many of which already had measures in place.

“We did, however, receive seven reports of businesses that did not have bylaw signage in their entranceways,” Choi said.

According to Choi, peace officers will follow up with those business owners over the next few days to inquire if there is any other support the city can provide them.

“We also over the weekend had 56 occurrences of individuals not wearing face coverings that were shared with the city.

“I need to reiterate that this is about education. It is a business’s decision to deny or allow entry to a customer not wearing a facemask.”

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Choi noted the bylaw does include exceptions as not everyone can wear a face mask and asked for businesses to be respectful of that, and for individuals to also be respectful when they’re approached for not wearing a mask.

The city recently started handing out free face masks at access points across Calgary. If you or someone you know is in need of face coverings you can visit Calgary.ca/COVID19 for a full list of locations.