Mask Bylaw Discussion (November 2021)
Face Coverings (Mask) Bylaw Update - November 2021
During Tuesday’s Council meeting we discussed the Face Coverings Bylaw. Many of the stories that covered the Council meeting left out an important subsequent motion that I made and I want to share that with you. I will start by addressing what was covered in the media and why I supported the motion.
It is correct that council unanimously voted to remove the trigger of 10 consecutive days of COVID-19 cases being below 100/100,000 people. Based on current performance, we would have reached that mark in a few days. While the Public Health Order on wearing masks from the provincial government supersedes anything the City of Edmonton can do, if they were to remove their Order tomorrow, the City’s bylaw would still be in effect.
Although there is no indication that the provincial government is going to end that Public Health Order anytime soon, there is no criteria identified to suggest when this Order may end. Considering the severity of the pandemic, it is important that we don’t remove all the tools available to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This is exactly what happened in July and we need to learn from the mistake that removing all the tools at the same time created significant harm to Albertans.
Another reason I did not support deactivating our Face Covering bylaw in a few days is because of the strain on our healthcare system. While case numbers have been dropping, we are still well over our standard ICU capacity in Alberta. The information provided from Dr. Sikora, the Edmonton Zone medical officer of health within AHS, was that 307 ICU beds are currently being used. That is more than Alberta’s normal ICU capacity and therefore it would be irresponsible to remove tools to help prevent the spread while our healthcare system is still overwhelmed.
We also need to acknowledge the recent report that 15,000 Albertans had surgeries delayed or cancelled during the fourth wave. Seniors had hip replacement surgeries delayed, cancer patients had exploratory surgeries delayed, and many other serious examples like this. There is currently no timeline for when many of those delayed surgeries will resume according to our provincial Health Minister. Unfortunately, with so many people impacted, chances are that you know someone in that group of 15,000. I personally know a number of people that make up that total.
It is for those reasons and the ongoing feedback from our doctors and nurses working on the frontlines that I supported not ending the face coverings bylaw.
Although it was important to support the motion yesterday, I felt it was important to still have triggers in our bylaw so that Edmontonians know when we would discuss this item again. As noted above, the provincial Public Health Order does not have any public criteria that we can reference to know when changes might be made. I believe that is the wrong approach for any order of government to take.
Therefore, I moved the following motion:
That Administration prepare amendments to the Temporary Mandatory Face Covering Bylaw to have a discussion with Council when all of the following conditions are met:
after the active case rate for the Edmonton zone falls below 100/100,000 population for 28 consecutive days;
2 weeks after 80% of children aged 5-11 in the Edmonton zone have been fully vaccinated;
ICU utilization falls below 50% of usual capacity; and
The provincial chief medical officer of Health Order requiring indoor masking has been rescinded.
Of course, point D is the most important because as previously mentioned, the provincial Order supersedes the City of Edmonton Bylaw. Having other measures is necessary to alleviate the fear that this will go on forever. No one wants this to go on forever but we need something to work towards. We need hope at a time when many are struggling. Council will still discuss if they want to include this in the bylaw in December but I believe this is the right approach to take.
We also cannot rush this. The severity of the fourth wave was a direct result of impatience by the provincial government. There were ways to re-open that would have still applied caution. That lack of caution cannot be repeated because it will cost lives.
Some may be frustrated that the goalposts have been moved. That’s a fair critique. For all of the reasons listed above, I believe it is prudent for us to exercise caution and not rush our next steps. This pandemic is serious. Over 5 million people have died. We continue to learn new things every day and we need to use that knowledge to help inform our actions.
I’ll end by sharing the response I received from Dr. Sikora after I asked him what we learned from the fourth wave. While he provided a much longer reply, one of his key messages was that as we reopen things and vaccination rates continue to increase, we should remember that some of our other tools (ex: wearing a mask, physical distancing, and washing hands) will continue to help reduce the spread of this virus. Therefore, we should move forward slowly while using these other proven health measures. The motions we passed unanimously prioritizes the health of Edmontonians while also giving us clear targets that will trigger a Council discussion on our Face Coverings Bylaw.
Thanks for taking the time to read through this and if you have any questions or feedback, please share them in the comments below.
