TORONTO — Health Minister Christine Elliott says that Ontario will reintroduce mask mandates if the province’s top doctors recommend it.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore is set to give a public briefing today for the first time since early March, amid rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
In the legislature today, Elliott said that Moore confers with local medical officers of health on a regular basis and if they recommend a return to mask wearing, the province will heed their advice.
Read more: No need to reimpose mask mandate despite increasing COVID figures: Ontario health minister
Moore’s update today comes on the heels of a report by Public Health Ontario that shows COVID-19 cases, test positivity rates and hospitalizations have gone up since March 21, when the province ended mandatory masking in most indoor spaces.
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It proposes bringing back indoor masking and extending masking mandates in high-risk settings as possible elements of a “layered” strategy to mitigate a surge in cases.
Moore is also expected to discuss access to antiviral treatment in a briefing scheduled for 1 p.m.
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