At their latest meeting, Okotoks town council reviewed and approved a bylaw from the Okotoks Public Library Board that would require face coverings to be worn by anyone who enters.

While the town's mandatory mask bylaw has been in place for some time, including within the Okotoks library, this new bylaw would not allow for medical exemptions from the rule.

The passing of bylaws by library boards for the safety of patrons and staff is a provision under the Alberta Libraries Act.

Coe says the main purpose of the bylaw is protection.

"We do have staff in the library, and some of them do have conditions where they are compromised themselves, plus we also have other patrons who come into the library. The whole point is to protect everybody. It's just a matter of everybody being considerate of everyone else... The purpose is to protect everyone."

While the town's bylaw does require the use of face coverings indoors, the medical exemption has made for some uncomfortable encounters with patrons.

During the council meeting, Coe said several complaints had been lodged against the library in previous months by people claiming to have medical exemptions, and she recalled a few events where RCMP or peace officers were called to the library, either by staff or members of the public, in order to mediate disputes.

These incidents are made all the more uncomfortable by the fact that library staff aren't able to ask what those exemptions are, or for proof.

Coe says some individuals just wanted to voice their opinions, with one person later calling the library and thanking them for listening, while others have demanded that library staff provide data that justifies the town's mask bylaw.

One person sent an anonymous letter likening the town's bylaw to a "genocidal Nazi state," which Coe says is bordering on hate speech.

She says the library's bylaw would hopefully prevent staff from similar unpleasant interactions, as well as protecting from COVID-19.

"The employees don't have a choice, they have to go to work. No one deserves to be spoken to belligerently, whatever the circumstances are."

Coe says one positive case of COVID in the library (once it's able to reopen,) would mean they'd have to shut down all over again.

She says it's not meant to be a discriminatory rule.

"The non-believers or non-supporters of mask-wearing are people too. They have their own issues and feel that we're the ones who are being unreasonable. We want to listen to them and be respectful, but we need them to listen to us as well. We'd like them to understand that they still have access to many library services, we're simply delivering those services in a different way."

The library bylaw stipulates that alternative services like curbside pickup must be available to those who can't wear masks or face shields, both of which are offered at the library.

Other notable aspects of the bylaw are that children under the age of two are listed as being exempt and that masks will be mandatory as long as provincial health authorities recommend their use.

Coe says it's not a comfortable situation to be in, but the library has to protect its staff and members of the community at large.

"We're trying to be courteous, and we ask the public to also be courteous and to understand why we are asking people not to come in if you're not prepared to wear a mask. I'm sorry, but we have other people in this building."

All Alberta libraries have been closed to the public since April 6th, with no indication of went they'll be reopening as of yet. 

 

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