Sick of that mask, yet? Get used to it

Jul 22, 2020

KFL&A Public Health has been posting short, Youtube videos to answer questions about the rules that they have put in place to deal with the social and economic opening up after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Most of the videos feature Dr. Kieran Moore, which is helpful because he is both the Medical Officer of Health for the region and Chief Executive Officer of the agency. It is, therefore, in his name that the section 22 orders are proclaimed by the agency. These orders are legally binding on residents and visitors to the City of Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox and Addington Counties. When he makes a statement, like he did at the end of the most recent video, it can be taken as definitive.

The video, which was posted on Monday, July 20, is titled “What does our fall respiratory virus season look like? Must we continue to wear a face covering” (youtube.com/watch?v=o8Hh2o0JSNA). In it, Dr. Moore used a rough chart to demonstrate the normal seasonal impacts of the cold and flu seasons starting in September and stretching through the winter and into the spring of 2021.

He said  that as these seasons come along, his agency is hoping to suppress not only the transmission of COVID-19, but flus and other coronaviruses as well, because since they all cause a similar basket of symptoms, and each one will lead to testing and quarantine to ensure they are not cases of COVID-19. He also pointed out that, the flu in particular, can be more than an inconvenience. Flu cases stress the capacity of the healthcare system each year, and are responsible for significant numbers of deaths as well.

By the end of the short video, the inevitable is stated, mask wearing in enclosed public spaces will remain mandatory well into 2021 in KFL&A, at least until the end of flu season and perhaps beyond.

“We anticipate that we’ll need to have mandatory masking, throughout this winter respiratory season; to have multiple benefits for our community, to keep our schools open, to keep our economy open, and to protect our health care system against a double hit of both influenza and COVID-19. We anticipate masking to be mandatory until we are through this year or we have a safe and effective vaccine or a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19, which we do not anticipate until the summer of 2021.”

On Friday, July 17, a series of guidelines were published on the KFL&A Public Health website. These guidelines include some local implications of information that was posted by the Province of Ontario earlier last week about Stage 3 reopenings.

These include the rules that apply in restaurants regarding masks.

As restaurant dining starts up again this week, masks must be worn by patrons as they enter the premises, but can be removed when they sit down to eat. They must also be worn when going to the washroom or to other common areas and when they leave.

While wait staff will be masked, it is still unclear if customers are required to put their mask on when ordering their meal, but common courtesy might apply in those cases.

Also, on Friday, the mask wearing requirement in daycare settings was lifted in KFL&A, as was the requirement for clergy to wear a mask when delivering a sermon during a church service. Mask wearing by church congregations at indoor services is still required, however.

For further details about changes to the mask orders, go to kflaph.ca, click on “view resources and checklists” and look to the menu on the left side, on the “guidance for reopening” page.