KITCHENER -- The City of Brantford and Brant County have both voted to bring in a face covering bylaw.
Both municipalities made the decisions at special council meetings on Tuesday night.
Brantford council voted unanimously in-favour of the bylaw, which will make face coverings in all indoor public spaces and on public transit.
It will come into effect on July 17, the same day most of the province will move into Stage 3 of Ontario's economic recovery plan.
Council also earmarked $20,000 to provide face masks to people in the community who can't afford them.
Brantford will revisit the face covering bylaw every two months.
Brant County's motion was passed in a much closer vote, of six to five.
The bylaw says residents will need to wear a mask or face covering inside all indoor public spaces.
The proposed bylaw said children under the age of two would be exempt. That was amended to children under the age of five during the debate in Tuesday night's meeting.
Council also voted to revisit the bylaw following consultation with the medical officer of health, to finalize an end date.
The bylaw is set to go into effect July 20.
The Brant County Health Unit is currently reporting only 11 active cases of COVID-19, but health officials said the threat is still a concern in the community.
To date, the county has reported 134 cases of COVID-19 and four deaths.
Waterloo Region's mandatory masking bylaws came into effect on Monday after regional council voted unanimously in-favour of the bylaws the week before.
