Face Coverings

To help stop the spread of COVID-19 it has been strongly recommended by the Ministry of Health to wear a mask in all indoor, public settings (including schools and childcare settings, unless under two years of age). You should wear a mask if you:

• Are recovering from COVID-19 symptoms and are no longer isolating for 10 days from when your symptoms started
• Have tested positive for COVID-19 and do not have symptoms for 10 days from the positive test result
• Have been identified as a close contact of someone with COVID-19 symptoms and/or a positive test result for 10 days from last exposure

People at higher risk for severe illness are encouraged to wear a mask for greater protection, particularly if they have not received all recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, including:

• People who are older
• People with certain medical conditions
• People who are pregnant or have recently given birth

How do I properly wear a mask?

To learn about face coverings or masks and how to properly wear, fit, remove and clean your mask to help stop the spread of COVID-19, please visit the Ministry of Health’s face coverings and face masks webpage. 

When layered with other recommended public health measures, a well-constructed, well-fitting and properly worn mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. For more information on how to layer protection from COVID-19, please visit How to Protect Yourself from COVID-19.

Will a face covering protect me from COVID-19?

• After cleaning your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, remove your mask by pulling the ties or ear loops away from your ears.
• If your mask has a removable, single-use filter, make sure to remove and throw out the filter before machine or hand-washing your mask.
• For machine washing, put the mask directly into the washing machine. You can wash it with other laundry using a hot water cycle.
• If you stored the mask in a bag that is washable, you can wash it with your mask; otherwise, throw the bag out.
• For hand washing, use laundry detergent and water as hot as it is safe, then wash, rinse and dry thoroughly.
• Clean your hands again with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after handling your mask.

Note: Disposable masks should not be washed.

To discard disposable, damaged or worn out masks, throw them in a lined garbage bin. Do not leave any discarded masks in places where others can come in contact with them, such as shopping carts, public seats, bus stops or on the ground.

To re-use a mask, remove it from your face with clean hands and fold it in half so that the outer surface is inwards (so that the contaminated outer surface is not contacting anything during storage) and place it in a clean, sealable bag until ready to use it again. Do not leave a mask that has absorbed moisture from your breath in a non-breathable bag or container for more than an hour or so.

Note: Disposable masks should not be used for more than one day.

For more information on how to care for your face mask, please visit the Government of Canada’s website.

• Is not damp, damaged or dirty
• Has been stored appropriately between uses
• At the end of a full day’s wear, however, or at any time that a disposable mask has become damp, dirty or damaged, it should be discarded in a lined garbage bin.