City announces details of face coverings program for those in need

BRANTFORD, ON – At their Special City Council meeting held last week, Brantford City Council unanimously approved a Mandatory Face Coverings By-law that went into effect Friday, July 17, 2020. Under the new by-law, wearing a face covering is now required in enclosed public indoor spaces in the city of Brantford, including all City of Brantford facilities and public transit, until further notice. During discussion of this item, City Council also approved that $20,000 be allotted from the Council Priorities fund to provide face coverings to members of the community, sourced from local providers where possible, who may not be able to afford face coverings.

The City is pleased to report that starting this week, the program to provide face coverings to the most vulnerable in our community will be implemented in coordination with our Neighbours helping Neighbours campaign through distribution by our valued Neighbourhood Associations, as well as other key partners including the Salvation Army, the Brantford Food Bank and the Brantford Public Library main branch once it reopens next Tuesday July 28^th. The City estimates that 3,000 face coverings will be distributed to those in need, including both youth and kids themed coverings.

“I’m thrilled to see this program come to fruition so quickly,” says Councillor Joshua Wall who introduced this initiative as an amendment to the Mandatory Face Covering By-law. We recognize that many citizens live on a fixed budget and any added expense can be a new challenge. I’m proud of our Council for supporting this important program and to City staff for working so hard to execute it.”

The City would like to take this opportunity to extend our appreciation to local grassroots organizations Brant Co Facemasks and Creations by Karen who have been making cloth face masks since the pandemic outbreak in March 2020. Both groups say they’re very proud to play a part in working with the City to help keep our community safe.

To date, Brant Co Facemasks has also donated over 6,000 face masks free of charge to non-profit organizations and community agencies including the Brant Community Health Care System, Long Term Care facilities, seniors’ homes, homeless shelters and others as needed.

Based on emerging public health best practices, a combination of frequent handwashing, physical distancing, staying home when feeling unwell, and wearing a non-medical (cloth) face covering are all public health measures that when implemented together are proven to help contain the spread of Novel Coronavirus COVID-19.

If you or someone you know need a face covering, please reach out to your local Neighbourhood Association, or visit the Brantford Public Library on or after July 28^th, or call the Woodman Park Community Centre at 519-752-0890 for more information.

The City of Brantford remains committed to ensuring the health and safety of all residents by implementing preventative measures and public health best practices to reduce the risk of Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 community spread.

Stay Vigilant

The City of Brantford stresses that all residents and businesses play a very significant role in successfully reopening our community safely. Please continue to follow these important COVID-19 guidelines to keep yourself and others in our community safe:

Wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, cover coughs or sneezes, clean and disinfect surfaces and stay home if you are sick.
Practice physical distancing (6 ft apart from others) in public at all times and wear a face covering (non-medical mask), to reduce the risk of transmission in enclosed indoor public spaces.

Additional updates regarding City programs and services, and the continuity of services are shared regularly on the City’s Facebook and Twitter pages and at brantford.ca/coronavirus.

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Media Contact:  
Maria Visocchi Director, Communications and Community Engagement
City of Brantford | Office: 519.759.4150 Ext. 5754 | mvisocchi@brantford.ca