Trudeau wears a mask to prevent coronavirus despite telling Canadians not to for months

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed media on Wednesday outside of Rideau Cottage, providing updates on rent, face masks, and Parliament.

Regarding rent for businesses, Trudeau announced Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance program, which will help small businesses by giving forgivable loans to landlords to alleviate pressure from renters. Trudeau says that the government will cover 50 percent of rent, and is asking landlords to absorb 25 percent, and that renters pay the remainder.

When asked why the funding did not go directly to tenants, Trudeau said that it was up to the landlords to keep renters in their spaces, and that the more businesses go under would stunt the economic reopening when the pandemic loses its grip on the economy.

Regarding mandatory masks, Trudeau said that further recommendations would come within hours, but encouraged Canadians to continue to socially distance, saying it was the most effective way to keep the virus from spreading.

Trudeau said he wears masks when going to Parliament, but does not wear them while inside the House for sessions, as long as he can keep distance from other MPs.

Masks have been a controversial issue, as top health officials from various countries could not come to a clear consensus as to whether or not they were effective.

It took until April 6 for Dr. Theresa Tam to say wearing a mask could reduce the chance of spreading the disease to others. Tam had previously stated that masks had the potential to make things worse, due to people touching their faces while applying or adjusting them.

“It can sometimes make it worse, if the person puts their finger in their eye or touches their face under their mask. We would only recommend putting a mask on if you were sick and were entering a medical facility, such as a hospital. We have no recommendation for people to wear a mask (when) going about their daily business," Tam said on January 23, at the start of the outbreak.

Tam would later say that wearing a face mask could lead to a "false sense of confidence."

Regarding parliament, Trudeau said that options were being explored to have a "hybrid parliament model" wherein some MPs would appear via livestream, while others appear in person. "These are discussions that continue, but there are models that are effective out there that we should look at adapting for Canadian use," Trudeau said.