New mask rules are unnecessary

OUR READERS WRITE

I am concerned about the direction we are headed in this province regarding COVID-19.  

We seem to have things more under control, especially in the long-term care facilities, and I have always thought that, under the circumstances, our governments have handled the crisis fairly well but now they continue to put restrictions on our everyday lives that, to me, seem to be counter-productive.  

There are now about 40 new cases in Ontario each day outside of the GTA or 1 in 200,000 people. Dr. Nicola Mercer at the Dufferin-Wellington Health Unit in Guelph decided on her own to make masks mandatory in all businesses and force the owners to police that mandate on her behalf and penalize them through fines if they don't turn away business of non mask wearers. 

Being a business owner I have heard the same stories over and over from our customers these past couple of weeks - “The masks are uncomfortable.  It is harder to breathe with them on.  They fog up my glasses.”  

In our community with an aging population, I fear that forcing masks on our seniors especially may do more harm than good.

I hear that people are reluctant to shop in this district because of the mask policy.  Mostly I hear that if they do shop in this district, they restrict their time and money in our stores. Dr. Mercer's mandate is hurting small business in this district but maybe more importantly, it may be hurting the health of its residents, both physically and mentally.  

Please write to Sylvia Jones, MPP and Dr. Mercer to rethink this thoughtless act.  Social distancing was and still is working. We don't need a mask policy. We shouldn't have to live in fear.

Kevin Turner

Shelburne resident