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home / 世界杯决赛2022

future of mask mandates in ontario's high-risk settings remains murky as some experts urge province to keep them in place

the ontario government has so far kept mask mandates in high-risk indoor settings, including on transit, in hospitals and long-term care homes. most of those mandates were initially set to expire april 27, but were extended again until june 11 — this saturday.

by elizabeth payne
published jun 07, 2022
read time 3 minute read
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read time 3 minute read
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with just days to go until covid-19 mask mandates are set to expire in high-risk indoor settings in ontario, it remains unclear whether the province plans to extend them or leave it up to individual institutions and local governments to do so. one ottawa hospital, queensway carleton, said it will continue to require masks if the provincial mandate ends. the ottawa hospital said it would evaluate further “to make sure we do what is best for our patients.”
the ontario government lifted most mandates in march — a move that many say contributed to a spike in covid-19 cases, outbreaks and deaths across the province this spring. but it kept mask mandates in high-risk indoor settings, including on transit, in hospitals and long-term care homes. most of those mandates were initially set to expire april 27, but were extended again until june 11 — this saturday.
there has been no official word from the province about what happens next.
ministry of health spokesperson bill campbell said tuesday that the province’s chief medical officer of health dr. kieran moore is “currently reviewing and monitoring key indicators across the province. we will continue to seek and follow his advice on next steps.”
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no matter what that advice is, queensway carleton hospital “will continue asking anyone who comes into our hospital to wear a mask, including staff and visitors. we provide care for many patients who are vulnerable or immunocompromised and their safety, care and recovery is of utmost importance,” said spokesperson kelly spence.
the city of ottawa has not announced its next steps for when provincial mask mandates for high-risk settings expire. it says there will be more information before june 11.
even if individual institutions keep them in place, university of ottawa epidemiologist raywat deonandan said it would be a mistake for the province to lift the mandates that protect the most vulnerable in society.
“there will come a time when we drop all these mandates. this is not interminable,” he said.
deonandan said now is not the time to do so, especially with case counts still relatively high, though dropping, with young children still unable to be vaccinated, and with overcrowding in hospitals.
he said it is much more difficult to enforce mask requirements when they are inconsistent across the province than when they are provincially mandated.
although covid-19 cases and indicators are coming down from a spike earlier this spring, deonandan noted that cases are holding at levels comparable to what the province saw last fall when broad mask mandates were in place. daily case counts are currently around 500 a day provincewide. ottawa’s seven-day average, on tuesday, was 43 daily cases.
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“masking is among the highest-impact, lowest cost interventions we have available to us with pretty much zero negative consequences,” said deonandan.
he said keeping them in place now, given ongoing community transmission rates, is “the bare minimum” to protect those who are most vulnerable to getting sick and having serious outcomes, including people who are immune-compromised and young children.
he said health-care institutions, long-term care, retirement homes and transit are places where the most vulnerable tend to cluster.
“it makes no sense to be removing this last bit of protection for the vulnerable.”
on twitter tuesday, emergency room physician dr. lisa salamon-switzman said it would be a disastrous time to remove mask mandates in high-risk settings, given the crises in many emergency departments.
“patients are waiting in er waiting rooms for hours. many have covid-19 or other transmissible viral illnesses. removing mask mandates in high-risk settings is a recipe for disaster. let’s not encourage another wave.”
ottawa public health, in a statement, said the mask mandates in long-term care and retirement homes are covered by a directive from the medical officer of health that is not set to expire on june 11.
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the city of ottawa, meanwhile, said oc transpo is continuing to follow provincial regulations when it comes to masking on public transit.
it is working with ottawa public health and will update the city on next steps before june 11, said pat scrimgeour, director of transit customer systems and planning, in a statement.
dean lett, director of long-term care for the city said city-run long-term care homes continue to adhere to public health advice and direction from the ministry of long-term care when it comes to covid-19 regulations.
“any changes to masking requirements in our homes will be communicated before they take effect.”
elizabeth payne
elizabeth payne

elizabeth payne is an award winning health journalist whose stories became must-reads during the covid-19 pandemic and beyond.

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