Niagara residents are getting the hang of wearing masks since the Region’s mandatory bylaw came into effect three weeks ago, but a few could improve their technique.

“Anecdotally we’re definitely seeing that there are some people not wearing them the way we would recommend they wear it,” said Niagara’s acting medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji.

“It does seem like it’s better than it was a month ago. I think the message is getting out and is improving, but there’s still some room to improve.”

Niagara Region Public Health has been sharing tips on social media in recent days about the proper ways to wear a mask.

What’s the biggest mistake Hirji sees?

People wearing a mask over their upper lip instead of over their nose.

The nose and mouth are both potential entry and exit points for COVID-19 respiratory droplets and wearing the mask properly protects a person from others while keeping others protected from them.

There’s also the ear-loopers who dangle the mask from one ear when they don’t have to wear it, along with the people who pull the mask down under their chin in the same situations.

It’s just not something public health recommends.

“If the mask has done its job to prevent infection from coming to you, that’s now something that’s contaminated and you don’t want it to be dangling around or touching it very much,” Hirji said.

“Those are a couple of the big things that I think we’re still seeing a lot of.”

Niagara Region reported only two cases of COVID-19 over the weekend after zero on Friday.

One of the two reported cases Saturday was from travel to the U.S. and the other was due to someone in contact with a previously known case.

The total cases in Niagara since the start of the pandemic sits at 929. There were 30 active cases Sunday, while 835 have recovered and at least 64 people have died.

The weekend numbers are a continuation of a downward trend in new Niagara cases in recent weeks.

“Our personal behaviours are really critical to controlling COVID-19,” Hirji said.

“With schools only a couple of weeks away now, I think that will, hopefully, be a motivator for all of us now to do our part to keep infections low so we can get our children back to school safety.”

Hirji said it’s hard to say what the impact of the regionwide mask bylaw implemented July 31 for indoor spaces is having on the lower numbers. St. Catharines implemented its own mask bylaw two weeks earlier, on July 17.

“The science does say it has some impact so probably it is making an impact, but there’s really no way to tell.”

He said while health officials can’t know how the bylaw has impacted the extra spread of infection, it has changed behaviours as people are wearing masks much more than before.