County of Essex making masks mandatory at indoor facilities
The County of Essex is once again requiring that masks be worn in county facilities.
It will be effective as of 8 a.m. on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the county says it is in response to updated federal and provincial guidance about the importance of masking indoors.
This includes County of Essex facilities, including the Civic Centre, Essex County Library branches, ambulance bases and road depots. It also includes Sun Parlor Home, but it is already governed by guidelines for long-term care homes.
Arenas and community centres would be up to the local municipalities.
Windsor mom Megan Ball Rigden applauded the move saying she doesn’t want to be sidelined with an illness.
“I'm actually suffering the current effects of long COVID, which I really don't wish on anybody,” Rigden said on Monday.
Ridgen’s two children have autism and she explained that as caregiver, she wants masks to be mandated in all indoor settings in Ontario.
“When I go to the grocery store, I'm worried about RSV,” Rigden said. “I'm worried about cold, I'm worried about flu and I'm worried about COVID.”
“The government needs to take its public health role seriously and do the right thing for all of us, which is remove the polling, remove the opinion. It is fact masks are cheap, safe and effective and they help all of us stay healthy. They prevent our hospitals from collapsing.”
The public health advocate believes it is the smaller organizations that have the lead the way.
“I don't want people to face this like I am. I want people to think of COVID kind of like herpes. It's not a pretty thing,” Ridgen said. “It goes into your body, it attaches to your neurons, and it waits and something happens down the road and it comes back and it'll get you and if you end up in hospital, this ‘get you’ may not be fixable.”
CTV News has reached out to other municipalities, local health units, school boards and hospitals for their response to the updated recommendations.
- With files from CTV Windsor's Chris Campbell
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