After a transit driver tested positive for COVID-19, the City of Regina is expanding mask distribution and use on public transit.
Starting Monday, October 19th, transit staff will distribute masks to passengers who don’t have masks at 10 locations around the city on weekdays from 6-9 am, and 3-6 pm. Those locations include:
- 11th Avenue between Lorne Street and Rose Street (both sides of street)
- Golden Mile Shopping Centre
- Normanview Crossing
- 12th Avenue between Smith Street and McIntyre Street (behind City Hall)
- University of Regina at the Riddell stop
- Harvard Way at Grasslands Drive (Harbour Landing Walmart)
- Northgate Mall
- Superstore East
- Glencairn Shopping Centre
Mayor Michael Fougere says the number one priority for the city is keeping everyone healthy, adding the possible exposure on Regina Transit is concerning.
“We’re very concerned about the risk that this presents to the thousands of people who take transit every day,” said Fougere. “Making masks mandatory on our transit is a step we’ve taken to make sure that we provide more safety for residents.”
Fougere says with multiple potential exposures occurring on Regina Transit, it’s time to explore all options.
“I think it’s time we have a different conversation, one about making masks mandatory, make it compulsory and enforced,” said Fougere. “I will be introducing a motion to council at the end of the month to ask that we enforce the use of masks, in a broad sense, for anyone who enters a bus, they will have to have a mask.”
The Mayor says he won’t introduce a city-wide mask policy due to the fact that social distancing is possible in most other scenarios, whereas on a bus, it is not.
“When you’re on a bus and it fills up, you have absolutely no opportunity to maintain that distance, that’s why it’s critical,” said Fougere. “Those conversations, in respect to indoors, we had those twice at council, three times, and we will follow the lead of the Chief Medical Health Officer on public spaces. In this case, we can’t maintain that distance, that’s why it’s critical.”
Fougere says if approved by council, the policy will be in affect shortly after.