On July 23, 2020, as part of their efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19, Niagara Regional Council approved a by-law making it mandatory to wear a face covering or non-medical mask in enclosed public places. The by-law comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on July 31, 2020, and will remain in effect until Oct. 1, 2020, unless extended by Regional Council. The by-law applies to the following enclosed indoor places:
- 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 facility 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 building
For more information (including exemptions), please visit the Niagara Region website or call 905-980-6000. You can find a list of stores in Fort Erie that sell face coverings here.
To read more about the Town’s COVID-19 response, please visit https://covid19.forterie.ca.
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