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APL implements mask use for patrons and staff

Anyone visiting the Airdrie Public Library (APL) will now be required to wear masks. Following a unanimous decision by APL’s board, a new policy mandating masks for all staff and patrons at the library went into effect Aug. 3.
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Visitors and staff at Airdrie Public Library must now cover their faces as a precaution against COVID-19. File Photo/Airdrie City View

Anyone visiting Airdrie Public Library (APL) will now be required to wear masks, following a unanimous decision by the library's board of directors.

As per the board's decision, a new policy mandating masks for all staff and patrons at the library went into effect Aug. 3.

“We think it’s pretty clear that masks are helpful,” said Director Pamela Medland. “We just hope that in time, people will be happy to comply.”

Medland called the new policy “an educational campaign” and said APL’s staff is not “looking to get into confrontational engagements with the public.”

Under the policy, anyone under the age of five and those with medical exemptions will not be required to wear masks.

Prior to the new policy, wearing masks while visiting the library was recommended but optional.

APL will carry a stock of masks, Medland said, and anyone that comes to the library without one will be asked by staff to use one of the free ones. She said she hopes people will respond positively to the new policy.

For anyone not comfortable wearing masks, Medland added APL has a variety of resources available online for people to use from home.

Following a lengthy closure due to COVID-19, APL reopened July 6 with new health guidelines in place. According to Medland, the public has been responsive to these precautions and is complying with hand sanitation and physical distancing guidelines, but less than 50 per cent of patrons have been entering the facility with a mask.

She added she hopes patrons will embrace the new policy.

“I think people really get it,” she said. “They know we are trying our best.”

Because of the small size of APL, Medland said there has been some difficulty meeting physical distancing requirements.

While she acknowledged the City of Airdrie and other levels of government must weigh several factors in determining whether to mandate masks, she added APL’s board did not feel it could wait for a bylaw to be instated.

“We have so many people coming into our facility,” she said. “For us, we are just managing our risk, and the risk was too high to wait.”

Currently, she said, approximately 300 people visit the library daily.

“Anybody can come through the doors,” Medland said. “What we are attempting to do is to find ourselves in a position where we can continue to offer the best possible library service without having to close down again.”

She said APL does not want to find itself in a position where there could possibly be an outbreak.

Medland added APL’s job is to serve the public, and in order to do that, patrons must feel as safe as possible.

Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz



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