Strathcona County mask bylaw amended to align with Province

At a special council meeting on February 10, Strathcona County Council voted to amend the municipal face coverings bylaw to align with the provincial mandatory mask requirements.

Beginning Monday, February 14, children and youth 12 and under will no longer be required to wear masks in any setting.

Youth and adults 13 and older will still be required to wear masks in indoor places, workspaces and vehicles. Information about exceptions for youth and children in school is available on the provincial website at alberta.ca/masks.

The municipal bylaw is in effect until the provincial mask requirements are lifted, unless the bylaw is repealed by Council at an earlier date.

"Our community has been through a very difficult 23 months,” said Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank. “Taking into consideration the feedback from residents and the provincial direction, it was a good decision by Council that aligns our masking bylaw with the Province and supports the health and safety of Strathcona County.”

Everyone’s personal comfort will be different. We appreciate our community’s ongoing kindness and respect towards one another as we adapt and follow mandatory health measures.

Additional health and safety measures will remain in County facilities, including enhanced cleaning, plexiglass barriers, signage, six feet distancing markers and hand sanitizing stations.

Residents are still legally required to isolate if they test positive for COVID-19 or have core symptoms unrelated to pre-existing conditions. Isolation requirements are online at alberta.ca/isolation.

Strathcona County has some of the highest vaccination rates in Alberta; 81 per cent of residents in Strathcona County (5+) are fully vaccinated, and 87 per cent of residents in Sherwood Park (5+) are fully vaccinated.

More information about the new provincial measures and staged approach is online at alberta.ca/covid19.

Contact: Strathcona County Communications, 780-410-6595