Eastern Ontario region to require face masks for all indoor spaces

"We've been getting a lot of complaints and request by the public, email after email after email to our EOHU email website, requesting that we implement a mandatory masking in public indoor places, particularly businesses," said Dr. Paul Roumeliotis on Tuesday.

Non-medical face masks will be required in all indoor public places within the area around Prescott-Russell to Cornwall, Alexandria and Hawkesbury.

"We will recommend mandatory masking," added Dr. Roumeliotis, regarding the EOHU's recommendation in favour of requiring face masks at all indoor public places.

"If I wear a facial covering now, I'm protecting you. If you wear a face covering, you are protecting me. If we all wear it, we're protecting each other—everybody protects each other."

The details surrounding a mandatory face mask policy are still being sorted out by the Ontario Health Unit and an announcement is expected to come next week, said Dr. Roumeliotis.

However, he did say that public health officials have decided the best way to go about it is to have a "regional approach" as opposed to each municipality having their own rules set by each health unit.

People who do not wear face masks indoors will be penalized.

Over the last week, the Eastern Ontario Health Unit has reported two new cases of COVID-19, an area that encompasses the City of Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Prescott-Russell.

In Toronto, city council also approved a bylaw on Tuesday that would make face masks mandatory in all public spaces beginning on July 7.

Ottawa is also "seriously" considering implementing the same regulations, according to Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa Medical Officer of Health. They will make their announcement on the issue next week as well.