Ontario’s chief medical officer of health is continuing to recommend the use of masks to slow the spread of COVID-19, but says the province has no plans to reinstate broad mask mandates.
During his first COVID-19 news conference in nearly a month, Dr. Kieran Moore acknowledged on Monday that Ontario is in the midst of the sixth wave of the pandemic. He added that the continued rise of COVID-19 cases and the risk of transmission will likely last another six to eight weeks across the province.
Moore said the virus continues to find ways to circulate and evolve.
“The pandemic is certainly not over,” he said. ” Learning to live with COVID and the expected rise in COVID cases because of the highly transmissible BA.2 variant, it is strongly recommended for all of us to, number one, screen daily for any symptoms of COVID-19, stay at home when you’re sick even with mild symptoms, wear a mask, especially in indoor public settings, [and] maintain your vaccinations. A booster dose can save your life.”
Despite the recommendation to wear masks in public to slow the spread of COVID-19, Moore said the Ontario government will not be reinstating a mask mandate at this time. However, that position could change.
“We should all be prepared that we may need to resume a requirement for mask-wearing in indoor public spaces if a variant of concern emerges, a threat to our health care system, or potentially during the winter months when COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are likely to circulate again,” said Moore.
The provincial government lifted the majority of COVID-19 mask mandates on March 21, except in high-risk settings such as hospitals, public health offices and clinics, congregate care settings, long-term care, and public transit.
While the province initially planned to remove the remaining masking requirements on April 27, Moore said this will likely be delayed until a later date.
As of Monday, there were 1,090 people in Ontario who had been hospitalized with COVID-19, 184 of whom were in intensive care.
