The provincial government has already abolished the mandate for masks in almost all conditions, but there are a number of places where people still have to disguise themselves, despite the changes.
Some of the places are places where there are usually a lot of high-risk people, while others are just smaller, crowded spaces where it’s hard to distance yourself.
The province extended the mandate of the mask for many places amid the sixth wave of the virus in the spring, but Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore told CP24 this week that “we are in a safer position” now, which means that most of the mandates may fall.
However, not everyone agrees. Dr Fahad Razak, the new scientific director of the scientific advisory table for COVID-19 in Ontario, said he would like to see the remaining mask mandates extended to protect high-risk conditions and individuals. Many other doctors have expressed a similar opinion.
“So whether the abolition of the mask requirement in some extreme sectors such as transit, hospitals and long-term care, whether it will have an effect or cause harm, we simply do not have data to demonstrate yes or no to this issue,” Razak said. . “So it becomes a sentence.”
With this in mind, a number of settings decide for themselves whether to pursue masking policies. Here is what several places have decided and how they think about it.
HOSPITALS
Most GTA hospitals have said their mask mandates will remain in place for the time being. These include University Health Network hospitals such as Toronto General and Princess Margaret, as well as others such as Mount Sinai, St. Mike’s, North York General, Humber River and Southlake Regional Health Center.
Toronto’s SickKids Hospital also said its disguise policy would continue.
“SickKids has a uniquely vulnerable patient population, as not all of our patients qualify for vaccination and many are immunocompromised, putting them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 results than children in the community,” they said. from the hospital. “For these reasons, we continue to take a precautionary approach with our security measures and will continue to demand universal camouflage after June 11.
Scarborough’s health network also said there would be no change in their policy.
“There will be no change in the requirement for universal masking of staff, patients, visitors / primary care partners, contractors / providers in the Scarborough Health Network,” a spokesman for CP24.com said. “We will continue to follow the recommendations for the Toronto-IPAC region and the operational guidelines for the Toronto Hospital region from the Toronto Hospital Operations Table COVID-19.
READ more about it here.
SOME THEATERS
Mirvish Productions said that all visitors and staff will still have to wear a mask that completely covers the nose, mouth and chin in their theaters. The company, which suffered prolonged shutdowns at the height of the pandemic, updated its policy on May 30th and said it would remain in force “until further notice”.
“Our work depends entirely on strangers who gather indoors, side by side, and watch the show for a few hours,” explains John Karastamatis, director of communications and programming. “So we feel obligated to the safety of the audience. And we think that wearing a mask at the moment is not a terrible inconvenience. It’s an inconvenience, but it’s not a terrible inconvenience. “
He admits that many of Mirvish’s patrons are older and have expressed concern that they feel vulnerable coming to the theater without any precautions.
But the theater tells people about politics when they book their tickets, and most people, he says, have not made a fuss about it.
Karastamatis also points out that while performers are not disguised on stage for obvious reasons, everyone is disguised when off stage, as maintaining the health of the cast and crew is a priority.
While cinemas and sports arenas have chosen to give up camouflage, Karastamatis says health councils have changed so often during the pandemic that Mirvish feels more comfortable playing safe for a while while having a clearer picture. .
“I don’t think we still have clarity about what makes our audience feel safe and what is actually safe,” he said.
TRANSIT
Although the TTC will no longer officially require most riders to disguise themselves, disguise is still recommended by the agency and people will still need to disguise themselves at Wheel-Trans, where there are more vulnerable riders.
“TTC will continue to strongly recommend the use of masks,” TTC spokesman Stuart Green told CP24. “This will be optional, of course, for both employees and our customers, with the exception of Wheel-Trans. The camouflage mandate will continue for Wheel-Trans and this was a decision taken in connection with our Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit.
The masks are now optional for GO Transit and UP Express.
“As we did during the pandemic, Metrolinx will follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer,” Metrolinx spokeswoman Ann Marie Aikins told CP24.com. “As of June 11, masks are no longer required in GO and UP Express.
In a subsequent interview, Aikins told CP24 that while masks will be optional, Metrolinx knows that many customers will want to continue using them.
“We expect customers to still choose the option to wear a mask and we will see some of that, because that’s what they feel comfortable with, and we will see customers without and what we want from all our customers is just to respect each other . personal circumstances and choices, “she said.
Read more about it here.
LONG-TERM CARE AND RETIREMENT HOMES
While Ontario is sticking to June 11 to remove most of the mandates for masks, the province still requires masks to be worn in long-term care homes and retirement homes.
Masking is also “recommended” by the province in more risky living conditions, such as shelters and group homes.
SUPPORTS
The city of Toronto said that the mandatory disguise will continue in shelters, 24-hour rest and 24-hour places for removing women.
“All measures for screening, testing and prevention and control of infections also continue to be maintained in shelters,” the city said in a statement.
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