A woman wears a mask while riding the Bloor subway on March 14, 2020. Most of the remaining mandatory mask rules in Ontario, including those requiring people to wear masks when riding public transportation or visiting hospitals, expire on Saturday . Carlos Osorio / The Canadian Press
Ontario’s COVID-19 mask mandates expire this weekend for hospitals, healthcare and public transportation, but will continue in long-term care facilities and retirement homes.
All other requirements for masks in the province were due to end at 12 noon on Saturday, after being extended to selected high-risk indoor facilities during the sixth wave of the virus in April. This includes all health facilities, long-term care homes and transit systems, as well as shelters and places for general care.
With declining hospitalizations in recent weeks and high levels of vaccination, Ontario Health Chief Medical Officer Kieran Moore said Wednesday that other disguise requirements will end on Saturday as planned, except for long-term care and retirement homes. to provide “an extra layer of protection for the most vulnerable.” Masking will still be required in these settings indefinitely.
Ontario has rejected a request from the Toronto School Board to keep the mask mandate
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The Ontario Long-Term Care Association said there are currently 77 homes experiencing an outbreak of active COVID-19 infections among 528 residents.
The masks are also recommended in more risky living conditions, such as shelters and group homes. Guidelines will be issued for the use of masks in hospitals in certain scenarios, but will not be mandatory.
“Ontarians should continue to wear a mask if they feel it is appropriate for them, are at high risk of serious illness, recover from COVID-19, have symptoms of the virus, or are in close contact with someone with COVID-19.” , Dr Moore said in a statement.
The Ontario Registered Nurses Association (RNAO) and the Ontario Hospitals Association (OHA) say removing the mandates could increase disruption to the health care system.
Hospitals are currently facing staff shortages due to the spread of the virus, said RNAO President Morgan Hofart, who is concerned that removing the mask rule will only lead to further infections and challenges for staff.
“We are already in a critical shortage of staff and we cannot afford to leave additional people,” she said in an interview.
Although COVID-related hospitalizations and critical illnesses have declined in recent weeks, OHA President and CEO Anthony Dale said vulnerable populations continue to be at increased risk of infection, and mask mandates can help prevent prevalence in hospital settings.
After the request was completed, Mr Dale said he expected hospitals to maintain their own disguise policies, but said the provincial-led directive had more weight and made it easier to implement.
“Our hospitals continue to adhere to the precautionary principle, as they did during the pandemic, and follow best practices for infection, prevention and control,” Mr Dale said in a statement.
SickKids Hospital in Toronto said it would maintain its disguise requirements because patients under the age of five do not qualify for vaccination and many are immunocompromised. Fred Lum / The Globe and Mail
The University Health Network, which includes five hospitals and health centers in downtown Toronto, will continue to maintain its disguise policy. UHN also requires that all visitors be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
SickKids Hospital in Toronto will also maintain its camouflage requirements, as patients under the age of five do not qualify for vaccination and many are immunocompromised.
As for the transit front, Metrolinx and TTC have said they will lift their mandates in line with the province, but continue to strongly recommend the use of masks.
Ann Marie Aikins, a spokeswoman for Metrolinx, which runs GO Transit, said the service would continue to encourage the use of masks in the system. Frontline employees will still have to wear masks, and the company’s staff vaccination policy remains in place.
“One thing is not to impose something and it will not be obligatory, so it will be their choice, but there is still a recommendation and encouragement of people to take precautions and one of them may be wearing masks,” she said. interview.
COVID-19 hospitalizations have been declining in Ontario since the peak of the sixth wave in April, down 27 percent from last week to 522 on Wednesday. There are 78 people in the intensive care unit with a positive sample, the lowest since last August. Wastewater data also signal a reduction in transmission across the province.
Despite the drop in cases, the new scientific director of the Ontario COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Table says the virus is still widespread and the masks provide a minimally invasive way to protect against infection.
Dr Fahad Razak said the advisory table did not have a formal position on mask mandates, but said extending them could be a precautionary measure to prevent further staff shortages.
“It’s a combination of patients still coming, plus health workers getting sick, plus fatigue and burnout from 2 years of the pandemic. So we are still in a vulnerable position, “he said in an interview.
Mask requirements for healthcare facilities remain in several Canadian provinces, including Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta.
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