Masks mandates in most Ontario indoor settings have been lifted since March 21, but reaction was mixed about the lifting of the mandate that had been in place for nearly two years.
Toronto-based infectious disease expert, Dr. Isaach Bogoch, was hoping the provincial government hold on to the masking mandate for a little while longer in a tweet made on March 9, the day the announcement was officially made by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore to ease masking requirements.
Masks are a helpful (but imperfect) tool to create safer indoor environments, especially during a respiratory virus pandemic.
Our Omicron wave is subsiding but is not over.
I think it is reasonable to keep masks on for now & re-evaluate weekly.
— Isaac Bogoch (@BogochIsaac) March 9, 2022
Another Infectious disease specialist, Dr. Abdu Sharkawy also tweeted his concerns on March 9.
“I don’t know where the confidence comes from to declare that the pandemic has ended in Ontario but elimination of the most basic PH measures like masking guarantees it won’t end as soon as it should,” Sharkawy said. “The vulnerable will pay the biggest price. Again.”
Since March 21, Ontarians had the freedom to remove their masks in schools, restaurants and bars, stores and malls, places of worship and concert venues, and gyms and movie theatres.
Masks are still mandatory in public transit, long-term care and retirement homes, health-care settings, congregate care settings, shelters and jails. Those mandates and all other remaining COVID-19 restrictions and emergency others will officially drop on April 27.
The decision was strongly defended by Moore.
“It is now a choice not a mandate,” he said at a March 9 press conference.
“Removing the mask mandate does not mean the risk is gone, COVID-19 transmission is still occurring across the province and masks can help protect you, and others, from becoming infected with COVID-19,” he said.
“In fact, we can expect indicators such as cases and hospitalizations to increase slightly as Ontarian’s increasingly interact with one another,” Moore said.
He said the high vaccination rates and natural immunity that is developing, as well as the arrival of other therapeutics and antivirals, Ontario has the tools necessary to manage the impact of this virus.
Moore said it is still strongly recommended people vulnerable to the virus, like seniors and those with chronic illnesses, to continue wearing a mask.
He said the public should be “considerate and kind” to those who choose to wear a mask, stressing that he personally will not be wearing a mask in outdoor settings and will be doing a personal “risk assessment” for “high-risk” indoor settings.
“If I go to the Eaton Centre, I’ll wear my mask, if I’m on the subway it will be mandated, and/or a public bus or streetcar,” he said. “If I go to a busy, busy box store, I’ll put my mask on in those settings.”
Meanwhile, wastewater testing data also showed that cases are slowly rising again across the province, and that a “Spring Wave” is around the corner.
It appears we are at the very beginning of a spring COVID wave in Ontario. Wastewater signals from many parts of the province are up.
It is currently unclear how large this wave (or wavelet?) will be, but it would not be surprising to see a bump in hospitalizations soon. pic.twitter.com/75VaCYO1Za
— Isaac Bogoch (@BogochIsaac) March 24, 2022
Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott reiterated March 25 that the province predicted there would be a rise in cases and hospitalizations as all pandemic restrictions are lifted.
“Dr. Moore did indicate several times that as we opened Ontario up we would see higher levels in the wastewater surveillance but we are confident that we have the capabilities in our hospitals to be able to take care of anyone who needs a hospital bed or needs to be in intensive care,” she said at a press conference.
There has been a slight uptick in Hospitalizations lately. As of March 29, 790 people are being treated in hospital for the virus, up 135 from the day before, and 165 of them are in intensive care, an increase of seven patients from the day previous.