Medical masks mandatory in all Quebec workplaces starting April 8

In Quebec, medical masks will be mandatory in all workplaces beginning Thursday as part of the province’s fight against the spread of COVID-19 variants.

The Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST), the province’s workplace safety board, issued the notice Wednesday morning.

“This new measure is part of a precautionary step and in the wake of the initiatives undertaken by the CNESST since the start of the pandemic,” the board said in a statement.

Masks worn in the workplace must either be medical or meet the requirements of the province’s Bureau de normalization du Québec (BNQ).

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For those who work outdoors, wearing a medical mask or a mask certified by the BNQ is necessary if a two-metre distance between people cannot be maintained.

The latest requirement comes as the government tightens measures in Montreal and other areas as the province sees a rise in new novel coronavirus cases.

2:00 Masks now required for elementary school students in Quebec red zones

— With files from The Canadian Press