After considerable debate, Sioux Lookout Council has agreed to remove remaining COVID restrictions in Municipal buildings.
This means masks will no longer be required.
Councillor Joe Cassidy says, “I don’t understand the hesitation. I think everyone else has rescinded or pulled back. It’s not like we’re deleting these policies off the server and we have to start from scratch. If we wanted to bring them back, they are there. If things come back and we’re in a different situation, we have them there, we can pull them out and we can deal with it.”
Cassidy adds, “I think we need to return to some normalcy in our offices. I think it’s up to the individual on whether or not they want to take the precautions if they want to. I believe there’s no scrutiny against anyone that wears a mask or wants to take those precautions.”
He says, “Leave the precautions up to the individual. We’ve had over two years of this. They know what precautions they want to take and what it would take to make them feel comfortable. I don’t think there’s any judgement that will be passed on them by myself or any other peers in the community.”
Some on Council still have some concerns.
Joyce Timpson says, “We’re very close to the Northern communities where there are current surges and the Northern communities are still exercising extreme precautions. When you’re walking around town you will see that people from the North are wearing masks.”
She adds, “I believe strongly we should remain in sync with what the Northern communities are doing because of the high level of travel back and forth and the very high risk of transmission.”
Donald Fenelon says, “I think we should be waiting. School is going to be out here in about 7 or 8 days and people will be travelling more and more. I would like to see if we could leave it until the end of August into September. Just to see how the fallout comes from the rest of Summer.”
Council has also voted to lift a State of Emergency related to the pandemic.
It was originally declared on March 20, 2020.
Council meetings will resume to in-person effective July 1.
Changes have been made to Municipal Office hours.
Effective immediately, offices will now be open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
