Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, is aligning the Emergency Program Act (EPA) order on face coverings with the provincial health officer’s (PHO) recently updated guidance on mask use in fitness facilities.

As outlined in the PHO’s indoor individual exercise document, masks are now required to be worn at all times in fitness facilities, including during workouts. The change to the EPA order allows police and other officials to enforce this new guidance at their discretion.

This updated ministerial order on masks ensures a co-ordinated response to COVID-19. For the purposes of this order, a mask or face covering is defined as a medical or non-medical mask that covers the nose and mouth.

Face shields are not a substitute for a mask as there is an opening below the mouth.

All other measures for indoor mask use continue to apply. People who cannot wear a mask, or who cannot put on or remove a mask without the assistance of others, are exempt. A person may not be able to wear a mask for a psychological, behavioural or health condition, or due to a physical, cognitive or mental impairment. This order also includes more expansive wording on exemptions for lip reading, which aligns with the latest PHO direction.