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7 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,July 16,2020 theifp.ca Rent soft water Starting at$9.95 *for first three monthsmth .com 5 Mountainview Road North, Georgetown 905.877.6242 - info@culliganwater.ca While we are currently only open for urgent eye care, we are getting prepared for a full re-opening of our offices as soon as health officials will allow.We wish to assure all our current and new patients that strong safety measures will be in place when we do open. Hope to see you soon and stay safe! Halton Region was ini- tially urging "voluntary compliance" when it comes to wearing masks or face coverings, which spurred local council members to bring their own bylaw for- ward on July 9. Since then, it's become apparent that Halton may ultimately pass its own re- gion-wide mask bylaw, meaning the Town's regula- tion could be considered un- necessary. At press time, the matter was up for debate at region- al council. "I would prefer a uni- form approach and that means a regional bylaw," said Bonnette. "This is about the safety of our resi- dents and supporting the lo- cal economy. I want people to feel confident in shop- ping and patronizing estab- lishments throughout Hal- ton Region." Regardless of which tier of the municipality is en- forcing mask wearing, it's clear the issue draws a vari- ety of opinions. At Preston's grocery store in Glen Williams, owner Atur Shiba said she's happy that a regulation has been put in place, with an- ticipated bylaw signage helping reinforce the mat- ter if she has to ask a cus- tomer to wear a mask. "This will help keep ev- erybody safe," she said. "Since everybody is back in business, let's do what we can to keep businesses open." But others don't feel the bylaw is a necessary mea- sure at this time, like local citizen Janice Thompson. "Cases have been steadi- ly decreasing without mask enforcement, even though things have opened up. Why enforce masks now?" she asked. "If I'm sick, I will stay home. If I'm not sick, I am not helping anybody by wearing a mask." The sentiment was ech- oed by Halton Hills resident Mike Baker, who recently informed council of his op- position. "Had this been proposed in April or May, I wouldn't have felt strongly," he said. "Now the rate of new cases is in steep decline and the death rate is in even steeper decline." He added: "I tend to place great value on freedom." Ward 3 Councillor Moya Johnson contended that politicians don't implement such measures because they want power over peo- ple. "We've made this deci- sion because we want to help our community stay healthy," she said. She noted that in the ear- ly stages of the pandemic, many businesses were closed and far fewer people were out in public spaces. "Now, shops, malls, re- tail and public spaces are opening up," she said. "It's a numbers game -- there are more people out, so there's more risk." During the special Hal- ton Hills council meeting held to pass the bylaw, the local politicians also heard from Dr. Nadia Alam, a Georgetown physician and past-president of the Onta- rio Medical Association. "There is a growing body of evidence, hundreds of studies, that even a cloth mask will make a difference in how much of the virus you can spread," she said. She noted there are "very few people who can't tolerate wearing a face mask." "They do not cause a build-up of carbon dioxide in the body, or heat stroke, or infections, or pneumo- nia," she said. "Masks act as a visible reminder that the pandem- ic is still at large. Even in Halton Hills, it exists and is easily transmissible by asymptomatic people through the simple act of speaking." Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hamidah Meghani told Metroland Media that she continues to "strongly recommend" the use of face coverings when physical distancing is a challenge. "I'm also supportive of approaches and measures that aim to increase the use of face coverings as an addi- tional layer of protection in our response to control CO- VID-19 in our community, including if a municipality should choose to implement a bylaw for this purpose." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With masks and face coverings now being recom- mended by the World Health Organization as a way to help stop the spread of COVID-19, local poli- ticians are responding with regulations to mandate the measure. NEWS Continued from page 1 DECISION BASED ON PROTECTION, NOT POWER: COUNCILLOR Sheryl Ballon and her mother Yanina wear masks while shopping. Graham Paine/Torstar "This will help keep everybody safe. Since everybody is back in business, let's do what we can to keep businesses open." - Atur Shiba