When you head out the door today, don't forget your mask.
Masks are now mandatory in Niagara.
There are exemptions for children under the age of five, and for people with a medical condition or a disability that prevents them from wearing a mask.
Here is the list of indoor places where the bylaw applies.
•Retail stores where goods and services are sold to customers
•Businesses that primarily sell food including restaurants
•Supermarkets, grocery stores, bakeries and convenience stores
Churches, mosques, temples, synagogues and other places of worship, except during a religious rite or ceremony that is incompatible with the face being covered
•Shopping malls or similar structures which contain multiple places of business
•Lobby areas of commercial buildings
•Common areas of hotels and motels and other short term accommodations, such as lobbies, elevators, meeting rooms or other common use facilities but does not include the common areas of residential apartment buildings or condominiums
•Laundromats
•Concert venues, theatres and cinemas
•Fitness centres, gyms, other recreational and sports facilities and clubhouses
•Arcades and other amusement facilities
•Premises utilized as an open house, presentation centres or other facilities for real-estate purposes
•Museums, galleries, historic sites and similar attractions
•Businesses providing personal care services
•Banquet halls, convention centres, arenas, stadiums and other event spaces
•Public transit operated by the Niagara Region and local area municipalities
•Municipal buildings
Under the by-law, all businesses operating in Niagara must have a policy regarding the wearing of face-coverings that prevent people from entering without a mask.
Additionally, businesses must ensure that staff receive training in the requirements of the policy and provide hand sanitizer at all public entrances.
The bylaw will remain in effect until October 1st, 2020.