When to wear a mask or a face covering
Although masks or face coverings are no longer mandatory in most public places, the following individuals are recommended to wear them:
- people with weakened immune systems
- people who have a health condition that makes them vulnerable
- people in close contact with others who are vulnerable because of their health or age
- people who have recently had COVID-19 or whose household has been exposed to a case
- people who feel the need to wear them
Healthcare facilities
Masks or face coverings are mandatory for all individuals going to general or specialized hospital centres (excluding psychiatric hospitals), private or public CHSLDs, a CLSC, medical clinics with a practising physician, nurse or nursing assistant.
When they arrive there, staff may ask them to put on a procedural mask.
Masks or face coverings are not mandatory in facilities that exclusively offer mental health services.
Workplaces
It is mandatory to wear a protective medical-grade mask in some workplaces, particularly for healthcare workers.
To learn more, see the guides and tools produced by the CNESST .
People who are exempt
People in the following situations are not subject to the obligation to wear a mask or face covering:
- Children under the age of 10 years
- People with health conditions preventing them from wearing a mask or face covering:
- people with a physical disability which makes them unable to put them on or take them off
- people with a facial deformity
- people with a cognitive impairment, an intellectual disability, a severe autism spectrum disorder, a drug addiction problem, or a severe mental health problem are incapable of understanding the obligation or would experience significant psychological distress
- people with a severe skin condition affecting the face or ears that would be seriously exacerbated by wearing a mask or face covering
- People receiving care or services or performing a physical or other activity that requires them to remove their masks. In such cases, they may remove their mask or face covering only while the care, service or activity takes place
- People who must temporarily remove their mask or face covering to verify their identity
