Mayor John Tory continues to urge all condo and apartment buildings to enforce their own face mask policies in all common areas to further reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus.
All week, Tory has been pushing to make face masks and coverings mandatory following discussions with building residents, Toronto Public Health, and the Greater Toronto Apartment Association (GTAA). On Wednesday during his daily COVID-19 briefing, the mayor said he has received a positive response from the GTAA, who are committed to doing their part to enforce the use of face masks in all rental and condo building common areas.
READ: Mayor Tory Calls to Make Face Masks Mandatory Inside Apartment Common Areas
Tory is now urging building owners and operators to adopt their own policy requiring anyone who enters or remains within the building, including residents, guests, property management and maintenance workers, and other visitors who can wear a mask or face covering in areas including lobbies, laundry rooms, and elevators, to do so.
To make it easier to implement the policies, the City has created guidance documents and posters that building operators can print off and display in common areas of rental and condo buildings to encourage mask use.
“I want to thank all the building operators who are working to adopt policies that require people to wear face coverings in common areas such as the lobbies, laundry rooms and elevators of residential rental buildings," said Tory.
"Requiring those who are able to wear masks in apartment and condo areas is a simple initiative that can make a real difference in protecting the health of our communities. This is the right thing to do and I am confident it will help us stop the spread of COVID-19 as we move forward in Toronto’s reopening.”
The City of Toronto made face masks mandatory inside public spaces earlier this month, including in retail and convenience stores, malls and shopping plazas, and grocery stores and bakeries, to name a few.
Currently, masks in residential buildings aren’t mandatory under provincial emergency orders or city bylaws. However, Toronto Public Health says it continues to strongly recommend the use of masks in all indoor settings and especially in all settings where it is difficult to maintain a physical distance.
This comes as the City confirmed there are 15,202 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto, an increase of 17 cases since yesterday. Currently, there are 108 people hospitalized, with 24 in ICU. In total, 13,584 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Toronto, while 1,141 people have died.
