Masks are now required to be worn at all times in fitness facilities, including during workouts, the province announced Tuesday.
At least one Victoria fitness club had recently been allowing clients to go without masks, believing health orders allowed an exemption for those “receiving a personal service, or a service at a health professional’s office, if removing the face covering is necessary in order to receive the service.” Today’s mandate clarifies that.
The change also allows police and other officials to enforce the order at their discretion, where the rules are being intentionally broken, for instance.
A mask is defined as a medical or non-medical mask that covers the nose and mouth and does not include face shields, which the province says are not a substitute for a mask, as there is an opening below the mouth.
Masks are required for adults in indoor public areas and indoor common areas of workplaces if there are no physical barriers — kitchens, hallways and elevators, for instance — and are recommended outdoors where physical distance from others can’t be maintained.
Masks are not recommended for children under the age of two, but are encouraged for children aged two to 12 in public settings and, unless they are exempt, children 12 and older must wear a mask in public indoor spaces.
People who cannot wear a mask, or who cannot put on or remove a mask without the assistance of others, continue to be exempt in all scenarios.
The provincial health officer’s updated order includes more expansive wording to include exemptions for lip reading, for example.
Anyone without a mask in an indoor public place, or who refuses to comply with the direction of an enforcement officer, including an order to leave the space, or who responds with abusive or belligerent behaviour, may be subject to a $230 fine, said a statement from the office of the public safety minister and solicitor general.
Non-emergency complaints about contraventions of the mask order can be made to a local government’s bylaw office or local police department’s non-emergency line.
Police can be called if someone becomes threatening or abusive in response to a request to put on a mask, the province says.
