Mask mandate to end on Transit Windsor buses
Masks may soon become optional on public transit in Windsor after the federal government announced Monday it is dropping all COVID-19 border restrictions for anyone entering Canada.
Transit Windsor officials said masking requirements would likely be lifted in October following consultation.
“We have to work through some things internally, but I would expect early October to see that gone,” said Tyson Craag, executive director of Transit Windsor.
Craag said since the government is making the ArriveCan application optional and is lifting the mask mandate for travellers on planes and trains, the same should apply for Transit Windsor users.
“Obviously we have a health and safety committee and we want to make sure we do proper consultation with them before that's lifted,” Craag explained. “It's to protect our employees. That's our primary concern, also the protection and safety of the passengers, but I think just like the federal government's line of reasoning in terms of high vaccination rates, and largely we're over the crest of the curve of that Omicron four and five, I think we're in a good position to do that and it falls in line with other transit agencies as well.”
Last week, Craag told CTV News transit officials were preparing to train their driving staff for the return of the Detroit-Windsor tunnel bus service, noting that 25 per cent were hired during the pandemic. Craag said the goal is to lift mask mandates first before cross-border commutes resume.
“Buses are a well-ventilated spaces. The doors open every 30 seconds or so, there's windows that open, so from a passenger safety perspective I think it's a very safe place to be.”
“We're really just falling in line with what other agencies are doing.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.