The provincial government's sudden implementation of mandatory masking across Ontario is particularly relevant in Lambton County, the only remaining region with patchwork coverage.
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Sudit Ranade said Monday that they're awaiting further details from the province following Friday's announcement.
"We are waiting for the details that would help inform how we communicate that to the public," said Ranade. "So, what are those settings going to be, what are the exemptions, what are the rules? We're still really waiting for that level of detail so that we can package it and communicate it, or even link to something that the province has said on it."
Dr. Ranade said one of the reasons for the province's eleventh hour edict may have to do with the public's majority acceptance that masks should be worn in indoor public spaces.
"One of the reasons is exactly the same as the reasoning behind why a lot of municipalities put in mask bylaws, which is that even if it's something that they can't control or enforce, they would like to signal that they believe it is an important step. Places that have bylaws, we find that most people adhere to those bylaws. People have actually been really good about doing what they're asked," he said.
Lambton County Council had refused to approve mandatory masking, leaving an inconsistent local landscape of lower tier municipalities with or without their own bylaws.
Of the federation's 11 members, the City of Sarnia, Point Edward, Petrolia, and Lambton Shores enacted bylaws, while Plympton-Wyoming, Warwick Township, Dawn-Euphemia and St. Clair Township refused. At last report, the matter had not been discussed by the councils in Brooke-Alvinston, Oil Springs, or Enniskillen Township.
-With files from Stephanie Chaves