Face masks will become mandatory in all enclosed or partially enclosed public spaces starting Saturday, July 18th for those aged 12 and over, but what exactly constitutes a public enclosed space in Québec?
Here is a comprehensive list:
- public transit
- a retail business
- a service company
- a professional’s private office
- a place where municipal or government services are offered
- a personal care business (e.g., hairdressers, beauty care)
- a shopping mall
- a place of worship
- a place where cultural or entertainment activities or services are offered (e.g., movie theatre, concert hall, etc.)
- a rental room or other venue used to host events, such as conferences and conventions
- a place where sports or recreational activities are practiced (such as a gym or fitness center)
- a restaurant or bar
- a common area, including an elevator, of a tourist accommodation establishment
- educational institution (except pre-school, primary and secondary schools), including colleges and universities
- a train or bus station, a river station, a metro station or an airport.
Wearing a mask or face covering will also be mandatory to access or move around a lobby, reception area or elevator in an office building other than an apartment building.
A face shield may not be worn instead of a mask or face covering in places where wearing a mask or face covering is mandatory.
However, these exceptions below are not required to wear a face mask:
- children under the age of 12. However, wearing a mask or face covering is recommended for children under the age of 12 and not recommended for those under age 2
- people whose particular medical condition prevents them from wearing a mask or face covering, including those who are unable to put it on or take it off by themselves
- people who are receiving treatment, receiving a service or engaging in a physical activity or other activity that requires it to be removed. In these cases, they may remove their mask or face covering for the duration of the treatment, service or activity only
- people who remove their mask or face covering momentarily for identification purposes
- people who work or practice their profession in a place accessible to the public, except when they are in a lobby, reception area or elevator in an office building other than an apartment building. These people remain subject to the specific rules applicable to them in terms of health and safety at work with respect to wearing a mask or face covering.
- people who are seated and respect distancing provided in the following places (they must put their mask or face covering back on when moving around in these places):
- in the classrooms of an educational institution,
- in a place where activities or services of a cultural or entertainment nature are offered,
- in a restaurant, a food court or a bar,
- in another enclosed or partially enclosed place accessible to the public where people can be seated.
Source: Wearing a mask or a face covering in public settings in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (Gouvernement du Québec)
