Fraser Health – Safe to pass people on sidewalk, even when 2 metres cannot be maintained

At the end of May, Langley City council sent a letter to Fraser Health requesting official public guidance on what to do when you cannot maintain two metres from someone when you are passing them on a sidewalk.

This was because people were walking onto the street to avoid others which introduced another safety risk. Council received a letter back from Andrew Larder who is the Executive Medical Director — Medical Health Officer for Fraser Health.

This is an excerpt from the letter:

The citizens of the City of Langley can be reassured that there is essentially no risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 while walking on the city’s sidewalks.

Even if it is impossible to remain 2m apart when passing another person there is no risk of transmitting the disease unless the individuals touch or one person coughs or sneezes directly on to another.

People who are still concerned about passing close to other have the option of wearing a non-medical mask while walking on the sidewalk. There is no need to step off the sidewalk when passing other pedestrians, nor to walk on the roads.

For more information, please read the full letter.