City council considering change to Calgary mask bylaw repeal clause – Calgary | Globalnews.ca

Calgary city council is considering tweaking the city’s mask bylaw ahead of the holiday season, changing the threshold at which masks won’t be required indoors in the city.

In the bylaw’s current form, when the COVID-19 case rate fell below 100 active cases per 100,000 people for 10 days, the mask bylaw is repealed. On Oct. 28, Calgary had 99.1 active cases per 100,000, for a total of 1,354 active cases.

A motion from Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott would extend that period of time to 28 days.

Motion co-sponsor Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra said it’s a forward-looking policy, hoping to create conditions that allow for households to visit one another during the holidays.

“If we get the math wrong, we could enjoy some mask-free time for a little while and then maybe not be able to meet with our loved ones over the Christmas vacation,” he said.

Carra said masks are a symbol and a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“It’s not a panacea, it’s not a silver bullet, but it’s a very minor thing that we can do,” he said. “I support wearing a mask just as a matter of good citizenship, and I absolutely support it as a mandated thing when we’re trying to stop a fifth wave.”

Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the desire for families to visit each other during the holidays came through “loud and clear” from Calgarians.

“We need to make a measured decision of whether a little bit longer period of time with this particular restriction is prudent and will allow everyone to actually spend time with their loved ones over the holidays,” she said.

“One of the things that we’ve learned with our experience in this pandemic is that there has been this desire to lift restrictions very quickly and very prematurely. And what we have done is spiraled back down into restrictions as a result.”