Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said it is both a good step and an unsurprising move by the provincial government to implement a mask mandate for indoor public areas in the city.

Speaking about his thoughts on how Reginans have responded to limiting the spread of COVID-19, he believes most people are following public health guidelines. He feels this is an extra measure to help reduce rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

“It’s better to have masks and make them mandatory than close our economy down which I don’t want to see happen,” said Fougere on Wednesday. “I fully support the new changes that they have put forward.”

Fougere hopes people understand this is about protecting themselves and others safe during a spike in COVID-19 cases.

“I know some people feel uncomfortable with that, but we have a pandemic happening here,” he added. “The alternative here is to lockdown our economy and I think that’s wrong, especially when we have alternative steps we can take to avoid that.”

The updated public health order from the government states that masks are mandatory in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert indoor public spaces beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. The policy will be in place for 28 days.

There are 149 active cases of COVID-19 in Regina as of Wednesday.