#yyccc is hearing about mandatory masks now. CEMA Chief Tom Sampson is here as well as Dr. Raj Bhardwaj to talk about the issue. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/protective-laws-are-not-our-enemy-mandatory-masks-an-urgent-need-as-council-to-debate-options-next-week

Sampson is up now. He says this is the first time since mid-April that the measure for how many people will be infected per positive case has been this high. #yyccc

Sampson: "We're seeing increased case numbers, increased R values, shifting demographics ... so what do we do about it?" #yyccc

Sampson points out we have about eight weeks until the weather starts getting colder and people will start being indoors much more. "If we as a community want to stay open and not have to return to restrictions ... it requires everyone to take appropriate actions." #yyccc

Dr. Raj Bhardwaj up now to speak about the evidence of masks so #yyccc can make an informed decision, he says.

Dr. Bhardwaj says originally it seemed like staying home when you're sick might be the only rule we needed to stop the spread of COVID-19, but that hasn't been true. Also says physical/social distancing has been the most painful part of stopping the spread of the virus. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says masks don't have to be perfect — they can reduce the spread of your respiratory droplets and basically make you less contagious. He adds there's also very recent emerging evidence that masks might help expose you to less virus. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says mandatory masks can be a "behavioural nudge" for more people to use them, and when there's a critical mass of people wearing masks, infection rates drop. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says the summer should be a respite before the fall, yet COVID-19 numbers are going up. What happens when kids are back in school and patios are closed?

His presentation is done, and we're onto questions from council members. #yyccc

City official says research indicates that mandating face coverings will significantly increase mask usage, and it has a statistically significant impact on health outcomes. #yyccc

Here's what the city will be doing if #yyccc agrees:

First question from Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart. She says Calgarians have been asking her "why now" for mandatory masks, considering Calgary has already flattened the curve. Dr. Bhardwaj says previously the city was in a much harsher lockdown, we don't want to go back. #yyccc

Coun. Colley-Urquhart asks what Dr. Deena Hinshaw would think of this and why she hasn't mandated masks, pointing out the city has been very closely aligned with her advice and there is an entire system of contact tracing. "This is what Calgarians are trying to reconcile." #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says almost half of all COVID-19 infections are coming as a result of people who don't know they're infected. And when people don't know about those infections, contact tracing is very difficult. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says contact tracing is going to get harder. The "army" of contact tracers from earlier this year were medical students who were volunteers who likely won't be available in the future because classes/training will be back on. #yyccc

Colley-Urquhart asks why Dr. Hinshaw wouldn't take the step to make masks mandatory though. Dr. Bhardwaj suggests there are some politics involved, and also, it might not be appropriate as a province-wide mandate. #yyccc

Colley-Urquhart also wants to know how long mandatory masking should be implemented. Dr. Bhardwaj says you have to rely on the numbers and monitor them. "We don't do this in isolation or in any fixed kind of way." #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj: "There is not one single way to win at this pandemic." #yyccc

Nenshi says he dealt with the contact tracing experience over the weekend due to the person who was in council chambers at a public hearing and they tested positive. "It's not easy," he says. The tracer had to resort to trying to contact some people on Instagram. #yyccc

Coun. Jeromy Farkas says previous direction on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has come from experts, not something voted on by politicians. He asks whether Alberta Health/AHS is recommending policies like this. #yyccc

Nenshi says he's asked about a provincial mask mandate and the answer he got back on it is that they are "loath" to make different rules for different parts of Alberta but municipal councils are "welcome" to bring in their own rules. #yyccc

CEMA Chief Sampson says Dr. Deena Hinshaw has said cities are welcome to make their own rules via bylaws. #yyccc

Nenshi says public health officials aren't telling the city NOT to make a mandatory mask mandate. He says of many conversations, no one has said not to do it. Coun. Farkas says in terms of being able to justify voting in favour of this to his constituents, he needs more direction

Farkas asks who should wear masks, says he's been hearing from many people who feel they can't wear a mask due to a medical condition or disability, for example. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj: "Masks are uncomfortable ... but they're not dangerous in any way." He says there are lots of resources available from people to help the public get used to wearing masks. But not everyone has to wear a mask, just the majority, the majority of the time. #yyccc

Farkas asks whether, if masks were mandatory, some of the recent outbreaks Calgary has seen would have been prevented. Dr. Bhardwaj says it's hard to say that, but points out that a significant number of cases have an unknown origin. #yyccc

Coun. Druh Farrell says she's very concerned about young people feeling "invincible" in the face of COVID-19. She wonders about recommendations to communicate with Calgarians about the seriousness of the virus. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says this isn't the first time for communicating that barrier methods to prevent virus transmission. It isn't about blaming and shaming. #yyccc

Farrell asks whether Dr. Bhardwaj believes masks could save lives. He says yes. #yyccc

Coun. Peter Demong just read out Premier Jason Kenney's quote on masks where he said if mask wearing doesn't improve, parts of the economy could have to close again. https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/province-urges-use-of-masks-to-avoid-disruption-of-economic-and-social-activity-refuses-to-mandate #yyccc

Demong points out that the city isn't moving to approve a city-wide mandatory mask bylaw in all indoor spaces today. They're looking at mandating on transit and doing work to possibly expand the requirements in the future. #yyccc

Coun. Ray Jones asks about people who have asthma or claustrophobia or some other condition. Nenshi says he would favour "being a little more lenient" and you have to be reasonable about the mandate. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says anyone who can't easily remove their own mask should generally be exempt. As for people with lung conditions, asthma, etc. they actually need to be protected more than others since they'd be at higher risk with COVID-19. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says there may be individual cases of people who really can't wear a mask but it's difficult to find an entire group of people who absolutely must not do it. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says speed trumps perfection in these kinds of situations. There may not be some perfect number of cases to wait for until taking action, and otherwise we'll be "chasing the virus." #yyccc

Coun. Jeff Davison says health decisions aren't supposed to be in the city's wheelhouse and that means politicians get scared to act, so it's difficult to deal with. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says he's looked after a child who suffered from multi-system inflammatory syndrome after having COVID-19, which has been seen in kids, and it's very serious. He says there's much that isn't known about the long-term effects of the virus. #yyccc

CEMA Chief Sampson says other cities that have mandated masks have seen very good compliance, and it hasn't been as a result of enforcement. He says his understanding is numbers "north of 60%" can be achieved with a rule for masks on transit. #yyccc

Coun. Evan Woolley says it seems like mask-wearing in Calgary is low, and he thinks many people don't know why they should do it. He wonders if there's more effort the city will be putting into communication around face coverings. #yyccc

City official says this discussion at council has helped the city communicate about masks, but Woolley is correct that compliance hasn't been there. Bringing in the bylaw would be another aspect of communicating and it's about "passive compliance." #yyccc

Woolley says it's clear Calgary is experiencing a "significant spike" and COVID-19 numbers do not look good. He's wondering why the city's recommendation isn't broader than mandating masks on transit. City official says a phased approach was important to them. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says if it were up to him he would "slam the doors shut" when it comes to masks, because taking a wait and see approach isn't necessarily effective for an infection that can grow exponentially. #yyccc

CEMA Chief Sampson says he's concerned about the number of COVID-19 cases in Calgary, and he's not proud to be a leader on that front. #yyccc

Just to raise this once again: #yyccc is not going to be voting on this whole issue right away. They're going to finish this discussion, table it, go back to land use public hearing, and then hopefully vote later tonight. When? Who knows.

Aaaand that's it for the discussion. This item is now being postponed. So we'll see what they decide later tonight, or maybe tomorrow depending how long the rest of the public hearing takes. #yyccc

Dr. Bhardwaj says COVID-19 spread is taking off in Calgary and something has to be done about that. #yyccc