Ontario will be saying goodbye to most mask mandates on March 21, said Dr. Kieran Moore.
In his final COVID-19 press conference on Wednesday morning, the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health said masks will no longer be mandatory in most places, and will now be optional.
It is still recommended that those vulnerable to the virus continue to wear a mask.
“With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been able to cautiously and gradually move through its reopening milestones,” he said.
Self-isolation will no longer be required regardless of vaccination status and has been reduced to self-monitoring if symptoms are developed, wearing a mask if leaving the house, and avoiding vulnerable individuals.
There are a few exceptions to the rules, with masks still being required in places such as:
- Public transit
- Health care settings
- Long-term care homes
- Congregate care settings
On March 28, the Reopening Act of Ontario expires but will be extended for a further 30 days, until April 27.
On that date, the province plans to scrap all remaining mask restrictions but will continue to provide PCR tests and PPE.
Not everyone is on board with the lifting of restrictions.
“Unfortunately, it appears that a fast-approaching June election is influencing politicians’ decisions to lift COVID-19 safety measures,” Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) President Karen Brown said in a statement.
In the conference on Wednesday, Moore said that masks would no longer be required in schools, despite the Children’s Health Coalition‘s recommendation to keep mask mandates in school just a day earlier.
“For now, let’s ensure kids remain as healthy as they can in schools by keeping masks on. Masking in indoor school settings protects children and their families,” the Coalition said in a statement Tuesday.
Moore was asked about why he did not take the coalition’s advice.
“We’re in regular conversation with the Children’s Health Coalition. I have to thank them for the advice that they provided on an ongoing basis to my office as well as to the ministry,” he said.
“They agree that the trends across Ontario are very good that the risk of hospitalization to children has been minimal, in that very few children have had to be admitted as a cause for COVID and or into the intensive care unit.”
Other doctors have condemned the easing of restrictions, saying that the move is premature.
“Masks are a helpful (but imperfect) tool to create safer indoor environments, especially during a respiratory virus pandemic,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch in a statement.
“Our Omicron wave is subsiding but is not over. I think it is reasonable to keep masks on for now & re-evaluate weekly,” he said.
In a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath quoted multiple doctors from the Ontario Science Advisory Table, with Dr. Peter Jüni saying ‘it’s too early” and Dr. Kelly Barrett saying “it’s a bad decision.”
“It the province isn’t listening to the head of its own science tables … who are they listening to for evidence that now is the time to stop wearing masks?” Horwath said.
On Wednesday Ontario reported 1,947 new COVID-19 cases, with 241 people in intensive care units and 751 people hospitalized.