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.
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.
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.