Starting Monday, October 19 people will be required to wear masks when visiting all indoor town facilities in Altona.

Masks that cover the nose, mouth and chin without gapping will be required for the public to enter the Millennium Exhibition Centre and the Altona Civic Centre.

Mayor Al Friesen explains this next step in Council's on-going COVID-19 response is being taken for a number of reasons.

The first being the safety of Town staff and the people that make use of the facilities.

"The other thing is that the user groups, like hockey and figure skating, that are currently using the Millennium Exhibition Centre, they have their own protocols already in place. So this makes it less confusing and more consistent with the policies many of the user groups are already practicing," he added.

While the bulk of Manitoba's increasing COVID-19 numbers are in the Winnipeg area, Friesen says the question council discussed was whether to wait to react when the numbers start to climb in rural Manitoba.

"We ultimately decided that standing on the sidelines was not in the best interests of the community, and together with the endorsement of administration, we proceeded.”

Face masks must be worn over the mouth, nose and chin at all times with the
following exemptions:

- Children under the age of five
- Individuals with medical conditions preventing them from safely wearing a mask
- Individuals who are unable to put on or take off a mask without assistance.

Visitors to the facilities are permitted to temporarily remove their mask if they are:
- Receiving a service that requires removal of their mask
- Actively engaging in an athletic or fitness activity (e.g.: on the ice surface,
running on the indoor track, participating in a fitness program)
- Consuming food or drink
- Needing to remove it for an emergency or medical purpose
- Establishing their identity
- Town staff who are working alone in a space with restricted access, such as a private office or open workspace with appropriate physical distancing measures in place, or travelling alone in a Town vehicle.

Disposable masks will be available for a limited time to help ease the transition.

The Altona Public Works Shop and the Altona Rhineland Emergency Services Fire Hall will remain closed to the public at this time.