With the active COVID-19 case count in Okotoks having fallen under 15 on February 23rd, the 30-day countdown until the mandatory mask bylaw was triggered.

The onset of the countdown has caused some confusion among Okotokians, with one of the previous mask bylaws having expired and the province having instated their own mask mandate.

With regard to the town's mandatory mask bylaws, town council did allow Bylaw 28-20 to expire at the end of January, though that bylaw only covered indoor municipal facilities.

Bylaw 31-20, which covers all indoor spaces in town, is still in effect (barring 30-consecutive days with less than 15 active cases.)

Kelly Stienwand, Protective Services Director with the Town of Okotoks, says it's also important to stay aware of the provincial health order.

"If the provincial health order gets lifted, our bylaw would stay in effect until that 30-day expiry, and vice versa; if our 30-day expiry is successful and the bylaw drops off and the provincial health order is still in effect, then masking would still be required."

In essence, even if Okotoks does go 30-days with less than 15 active cases, you'll still have to mask up until the province ends their mandatory mask order.

Despite that, Stienwand says the countdown isn't pointless.

"As we count down these numbers and they're getting lower, this is great news for our community. It shows the good work we're doing locally. It's still good news for us, and as our communities continue to follow suit, hopefully, that will lead to loosening some of the restrictions, and eventually removal of the provincial health order to mask."

The case-count used by the town is the province's geospatial data by municipality, which can be viewed here.

 

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