Toronto city council votes to make masks mandatory indoors

July 3, 2020

From CBC News – Toronto’s city council has voted to make non-medical masks and face coverings mandatory in indoor public spaces to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

“It is about respecting and protecting each other,” Mayor John Tory said at a morning news conference, adding that it will be a key element to reopening the city safely.

“We hope there are more and more people out in the stores and in the businesses across the city. We want that to happen for the sake of our economy and for the sake of returning to a nearer to normal kind of life.”

The recommendation was included in a report from Toronto’s medical officer of health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, that was approved by council during its Tuesday meeting.

The new regulation goes into effect July 7 as a temporary bylaw, though Tory and de Villa are encouraging residents to begin following the order immediately.