Ontario’s chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore says the province will lift most remaining COVID-19 mask mandates this Saturday, including those that require people to wear masks on public transit or visiting hospitals.
The order was supposed to end on April 27 but was extended to June after the province said on April 22 that it was dealing with the “sixth wave” of the pandemic at the time.
Moore said Wednesday with the improvement in Ontario’s COVID-19 situation and high vaccination rates, the order is set to end on June 11 for most settings.
He added that masks are still required in long-term care and retirement homes to “continue providing an additional layer of protection for the most vulnerable.”
He recommended masking to continue in congregate living settings such as shelters and group homes, though not mandatory.
Moore said while the mask mandates are expiring, organizations may implement their own policies.
“Ontarians should continue to wear a mask if they feel it is right for them, are at high risk for severe illness, recovering from COVID-19, have symptoms of the virus or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19,” he said.
Remaining mask directives for health care workers will also be revoked Saturday and replaced by guidance issued by the health ministry.
“This includes guidance on when masks should be worn in hospitals and other health care settings,” Moore said.
Some hospitals indicated on June 8 that they would keep masking policies in place.
A spokesman for Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare in Windsor said the hospital intends “to continue with the mask mandate which includes the requirement for everyone to have a mask on in our hospital at all times.”
Two other hospitals in the region, Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores Healthcare, said they would keep masking rules for all visitors, staff and most patients as well.
Toronto’s University Health Network and The Hospital for Sick Children said the same.
The Toronto Transit Commission, which operates public transit in Ontario’s most populous city, said masks would remain mandatory for staff and customers on its Wheel-Trans accessible transit service, and are still strongly recommended for those riding the wider system.
