The rest of Ontario’s mask mandates expire this weekend, effectively ending more than two years of restrictions on public health in the province.
The mask mandate for most places was revoked on 21 March, but remained in place for a number of higher-risk places, including public transport, healthcare facilities such as hospitals or doctors’ offices, long-term care and retirement homes and shelters. and other collection points that provide care for medically and socially vulnerable people.
Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore originally intended to cancel the high-risk mandate by April 27, but extended it due to the sixth wave of the pandemic.
It is now scheduled to expire at midnight on June 11.
CTV News Toronto asked the Ministry of Health to confirm that the mandate would be revoked, as planned on Saturday, and was told that Moore “is currently reviewing and monitoring key indicators across the province.”
“We will continue to seek and follow his advice on the next steps,” a ministry spokesman said.
The expected lifting of the mandate comes amid a dramatically improved viral picture in the countryside.
According to the latest figures, there are now 526 people hospitalized with COVID-19, which is lower than the peak of the sixth wave since 1730 in late April.
The number of patients with COVID treated in intensive care has also fallen to 114, which is close to the number not seen since last summer.
Meanwhile, wastewater monitoring data continue to point to declining levels of viral activity in most parts of the province.
It should be noted that the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has its own mask policy, introduced before the Ontario-wide mandate.
The Broadcasting Commission has said in the past that masks will remain mandatory on the TTC “at least until the provincial mandate is lifted” and that any policy changes “will be made public at the appropriate time”.
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