The Government of Ontario has officially ended mask mandates for most public settings, including schools, retailers, movie theatres, and sports facilities.
Select settings, such as public transit, healthcare facilities, and long-term care homes will keep mask mandates until the end of April, but masks are no longer required in most other public spaces, including restaurants, bars, gyms, and meeting and event spaces.
Monday marked “an important milestone” in the fight against COVID-19, Premier Doug Ford wrote on Twitter. “Ontario's cautious approach throughout the pandemic has allowed us to save countless lives as we emerge with one of the lowest fatality rates in North America.”
Individual businesses can keep mask mandates or a proof-of-vaccination system for customers, the latter of which was dropped provincewide on March 1.
Provincial government politicians and top health officials say public health indicators have improved enough to remove mask rules, which have also been lifted in other jurisdictions across Canada and around the world, though many epidemiologists and infectious diseases physicians have said the mandates should have stayed - particularly in schools - for a few weeks longer.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, has said making masks optional does not signal that COVID-19 has disappeared or that the pandemic is over, but it means that Ontario has come to place where it can now manage the virus.
The number of people in hospitals with COVID-19 has been steadily falling since the peak of the Omicron variant wave in January.
Ontario reported 1,217 new cases yesterday (March 21), but Dr. Moore has said the actual number is likely 10 times higher than the daily count, since access to PCR testing is restricted.
The Ontario Medical Association published tips on Monday to help people stay and feel safe as restrictions ease, including wearing a mask in indoor public spaces, especially if vulnerable people or unvaccinated children are there, as well as keeping up to date with vaccinations.
