The mayor of Niagara Falls, Ont., says he’s not on board with the possibility of a localized mask mandate for Niagara Region – a measure the region’s medical officer says he’s “open” to amid rising COVID-19 case data.
Jim Diodati says he “appreciates the concern” raised by Dr. Mustfa Hirji, who addressed the possibility Monday during a regional COVID update, but says it’s not needed since most North Americans are meticulous in employing their own safety measures.
“We don’t need to be told when to do what to do,” Diodati told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
“I mean, voluntarily, we’re one of the highest vaccinated countries in the world because people here know what to do.”
Diodati says a mask mandate headed into Niagara’s busiest season, where an estimated 80 per cent of the region’s revenue is made in a spring/summer window each year, would hurt the estimated 40,000 employed in tourism.
He also concurs with Hirji’s assessment that a regional mask mandate would have little effectiveness if travellers from abroad are not subject to the same orders.
Hirji admitted that Monday, saying Ontario should reimplement a mask mandate across the province since wastewater signals are similar to what was experienced during the peak of the Omicron wave.
“I think it’s important to remember that mask mandates don’t limit our ability to go about our social activities,” Hirji said.
“We can still partake in all of the different social settings and many of these which are now reopened.”
The top doc went on to stress he’s not suggesting any closures, just a masking order as a “common-sense measure” to limit the spread of infection, recognizing that Ontario is in another wave of the pandemic.
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Barring action from the province, the medical officer said a public health mandate for Niagara Region is “definitely something” to be considered but is apprehensive about whether such a move would be effective.
He submitted a more far-reaching “provincewide” order would be better served with increased human travel region to region amid better weather in the spring and summer.
“There’s a lot of travel in and out of Niagara, so people are going to be at risk when they’re outside of Niagara, they’re going to be in Niagara and perhaps spreading infection,” said Hirji.
The province’s Science Advisory Table corroborated Hirji’s assessment of the current sixth COVID-19 wave on Friday, saying projections showing the “new, more transmissible BA.2 variant, waning immunity, and lifting of public health measures” are driving infections.
However, the table says “significant uncertainty around the impact of case growth on our health system and deaths” due to wastewater surveillance also suggests community transmission “may have peaked.”
“It is uncertain yet, whether the current plateau will remain or be followed by an increase after the (Easter) holidays, or a decrease,” the latest report read.
The table did say masking in indoor spaces will “substantially reduce the risk of getting and spreading COVID-19,” as will “improvements to ventilation.”
In an e-mail to Global News, Alexandra Hilkene, a spokesperson for the minister of health, said the table’s latest modelling confirms what the province’s chief medical officer reaffirmed in a presser earlier this week.
Dr. Kieron Moore said based on current data, a widespread mask mandate is not in the cards and he is leaving a “strong recommendation” in the hands of Ontarians to wear a face covering in indoor public settings.
“Ontario has the tools and capacity to manage this wave of COVID-19 without imposing additional public health measures or reinstating a mask mandate,” Hilkene said. “Ontarians should stay up to date with their vaccines, including boosters, and speak to a health care provider about what treatment options are available.”
Diodati says he subscribes to that assessment and suggests Ontarians just need to “weather the storm” and not panic.
“We need to plan, that’s simply the way to do it,” Diodati said.
“Plan, educate and make people aware. People are smart. They have common sense. They’re going to do the right thing.”
— with files from Hannah Jackson
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