Waterloo Region council votes to end face-covering bylaw

Waterloo Region council has followed the province’s lead and will repeal its face-covering bylaw on Monday.

At a special council meeting on Wednesday night, council voted to get rid of the bylaw, which was originally enacted in July 2020 as a tool in the fight against COVID-19.

While masks will no longer be required in many public spaces, they will still have to be worn on public transportation.

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The list of places that will no longer require a mask is pretty lengthy and includes stores, shopping malls, restaurants and bars, centres, gyms and recreational sports facilities, and places of worship.

The region’s face-covering bylaw did not cover hospitals and other provincial and federal facilities.

Area hospitals have said they will also continue to require anyone inside the facilities to have a face covering on.

The Waterloo Region District School Board and Waterloo Catholic District School Board both said they will follow the province’s lead and allow people to pass on wearing masks although the public board did vote to send a letter to the province asking for a two-week extension after March break.