Province may consider making masks ‘temporarily mandatory’ during future localized outbreaks

As the second part of the Phase 4 Re-Open Saskatchewan plans are set to get underway on July 6 with more businesses, leisure facilities and performing arts venues likely to welcome back patrons, Premier Scott Moe and Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab faced questions at their daily briefing Tuesday, about whether masks would be mandatory – in indoor spaces where physical distancing is not always possible.

“I have always said that if you are comfortable and feel more comfortable wearing a mask – in particular – if you’re not able to abide by the physical distancing standards, you should do so,” said Moe. “And we should all be supportive of individuals that choose to do so. It does help.”

SIGA has announced that all seven of its casinos will be open July 9, and wearing a mask at any of those establishments will be mandatory. There will also be reduced capacity, limited gaming machines and food service.

However, declaring masks mandatory in instances where physical distancing isn’t possible, is still a conversation to be had only if or when there are localized outbreaks, said the Premier.

“That would be something that I think I would want to have a very active discussion about prior to having to take more drastic action, like closing sectors of the community; playgrounds, recreational activities….there may be an opportunity in those localized areas to have a temporary mandatory mask order put in place. We’re seeing that conversation happen in Ontario.”

Shahab added that everyone should have access to at least one reusable mask in particular, and added that he too wears one during certain times of the day when he’s in close contact with someone.

However he maintained that there’s little value in wearing a mask outdoors when someone is more than five metres away from another person.

He also said masks won’t be mandatory either when schools resume in the fall, or daycare settings.

“In the school or daycare setting, we will not be recommending masks for children or in a class because we don’t think that the evidence shows that that’s very useful. You can’t really maintain the two metre separation or wear a mask in a classroom, with elementary school children, for example.”

Instead, the province will be recommending the ‘cohort’ principle where groups band together, so that if there are cases, the risk of transmission is lower and the group will be well defined.

In the meantime, both Moe and Shahab caution about complacency during the next reopening phases, and indicate that if someone is feeling uneasy in a given establishment – be it a bar, restaurant or somewhere else, they can simply leave.

“If you’re not comfortable with the physical distancing measures that are in place, you should choose to support somewhere else where you are comfortable,” said Moe.