Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said Thursday that he is open to extending the remaining mandates for masks after the end of the previous April date, if the chief medical officer advises him.
Mask mandates have already been lifted in most parts of the province and are expected to be lifted in high-risk conditions, such as hospitals and long-term care homes, on April 27. However, many doctors are urging people to continue wearing masks indoors among the sixth – rising waves in hospitalizations.
“I wouldn’t have a problem with that at all,” Ford said when asked if he would be willing to extend the term of the high-risk mask. “We want to protect the most vulnerable, I’ve always said that since day one. But I will wait for Dr. Moore to give us the recommendations. I’m right from day one. And if he gives us recommendations, I will be happy to do so. “
At a briefing Monday, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore said it “makes a lot of sense” to expand high-risk disguise after April. He said the current wave of infection was unlikely to subside by mid-May and that he would soon make recommendations to the government.
Many doctors and health professionals have criticized the province’s deadlines for dropping masking as “arbitrary” and said there was no point in doing so as cases were on the rise and hospitalizations were on the rise.
Although this is no longer required by the province by law, many doctors continue to urge people to wear masks indoors, especially in crowded places. A number of GTA school boards have also said they are asking all students and staff to continue to disguise themselves, although the provincial requirement has been lifted.
Ford himself has urged people to stay “careful” during the long Easter weekend and to disguise themselves if it makes sense to do so.
“I’d say be careful, don’t you, be careful,” Ford said. “If you have more than 15 people, put on your mask, right? It doesn’t hurt if you’re in a crowded room. We have been going through this for two years now. Common sense prevails. right? Put on a mask. Does not hurt. It will depend on each individual. “
While Ford said he was open to extending the mandate of the high-risk mask, he reiterated the government’s position that current levels of infection can be managed with available tools such as booster injections and antiviral drugs when asked why it does not extend masking. in other conditions such as schools.
“We will heed Dr. Moore’s advice and I will return to the capacity we have now, compared to the beginning of this pandemic,” Ford said. “We have capacity in hospitals, we have hired more health workers, we have antiviral pills. You know, we’re doing pretty well as a province compared to other regions. “
There are currently nearly 1,400 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario, the highest number since mid-February.
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