Masks on Saskatoon buses remain mandatory, but no enforcement measures planned

People boarding a bus in Saskatoon will need to keep their masks handy, even after the public health order expires on Feb. 28.

Most city councillors at a governance and priorities committee meeting Tuesday, voted in favour of keeping the status quo, while not supporting mask enforcement on buses with the help of security guards.

Saskatoon Transit will continue to focus on mask education and remind passengers of the requirement through signage and announcements, according to the city's information report about mask enforcement on the public system.

Operators have been able to track noncompliance on their buses using the Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), but drivers don't have to enforce mask use on passengers.

Free masks will continue to be available for people boarding the bus without one.

"A mandate without enforcement is how we've been operating our transit system, when it comes to masks, all the way along, including at times when it's outside of the public health order," Mayor Charlie Clark said.

"This is another very imperfect situation where we know we want to do the right thing to keep our buses as safe as possible and as comfortable as possible for people riding when it comes to the transmission of COVID-19, especially given the concerning news that the wastewater numbers are still high."

According to a spokesperson for Bus Riders of Saskatoon, the spread of the virus remains a concern during peak hours when physical distancing is difficult on buses with many passengers on board.

"We believe the overwhelming majority of transit users support the continuation of mandatory masking after the public health order expires," Robert Clipperton said during his presentation to the committee.

The first time Saskatoon made masks mandatory on buses without an existing provincial public health order in place was on Sep. 1, 2020. Saskatchewan didn't introduce a provincewide mask mandate until Nov. 6, 2020.

The Government of Saskatchewan then lifted all public health measures again on July 11 last year. 

However, city council reintroduced the mask requirement for public transit starting Sept. 1, 2021, while the province didn't re-implement its mask mandate in indoor public spaces until Sept. 17.

During the time of city-only mask mandates without the support of public health orders in place, there were no negative interactions regarding masks among passengers or involving the driver, according to city data.

During the pandemic periods when masks have been mandatory on buses, the compliance rate measured through the MDT in Saskatoon was 99 per cent, according to the city.