Ontario to lift all COVID-19 restrictions by April 27, ending indoor masking after March break
From masking to vaccinations, Ontario is lifting all COVID-19 restrictions by the end of April as part of its latest plan to live with the virus that has claimed more than 12,000 lives across the province in the last two years.
Toronto Star
Wed., March 9, 2022
From masking to vaccinations, Ontario is lifting all COVID-19 restrictions by the end of April as part of its latest plan to live with the virus that has claimed more than 12,000 lives across the province in the last two years.
That starts with an end to mandatory masking in schools and most indoor public places March 21, as previously reported by the Star.
But businesses and institutions are welcome to keep masking and mandatory vaccination policies if they choose as COVID-19 circulates, officials said in outlining the plan Wednesday.
“As directives are revoked, individual organizations will continue to have the authority to keep requirements in place,” said Ministry of Health briefing materials released in advance of an 11 a.m. news conference by chief medical officer Dr. Kieran Moore.
Officials said 10 to 12 per cent of the population eligible for PCR tests, such as health-care workers, are testing positive for COVID-19 — mainly the highly contagious Omicron and the related BA.2 variants — ut hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions have been steadily declining.
The next step in the reopening comes Monday, when hospitals and other institutions will no longer be required to have policies on vaccination of staff, although many hospitals have already made COVID-19 shots a condition of employment.
While masking requirements will be lifted in most indoor settings on March 21, the Monday following the March school break, masks will be required until April 27 in high-risk settings such as public transit, nursing and retirement homes, hospitals, shelters, jails and other congregate living settings such as homes for Ontarians with developmental disabilities.
However, once masking is no longer required, Ontarians more vulnerable to serious illness or death from COVID-19 because of underlying medical conditions are encouraged to continue wearing them, officials said.
In Brantford, Premier Doug Ford maintained the ultimate decision on further easing restrictions was left to Moore and that there was no political interference.
“Let me be very clear, there’s no pressure on Dr. Moore. I follow the advice and the recommendations of the chief medical officer of Ontario. He consults with the science table. We’re going to take his advice,” said Ford, adding Moore “has done an incredible job,” which is why Ontario has fared better than most of North America during the pandemic.
“We’ve been supercautious,” the premier said, noting all 50 U.S. states have already lifted their mandatory indoor mask rules.
“If you want to keep your mask on, keep it on. If you want to take it off, take it off,” he said.
“It’s going to be up to the people, but we have to move forward from this.”
Ford conceded “people are exhausted” after two years of the pandemic.
Isolation policies are also changing.
Close contacts of people testing positive for COVID-19 outside their own households will no longer be required to isolate. However, they are being advised to self-monitor for symptoms for 10 days after exposure, wear a mask and avoid activities where they would have to remove their masks, not visit anyone at high risk, such as seniors, and not visit or work in high-risk settings unless they have previously tested positive in the last 90 days.
For close contacts in a household, isolation will continue unless they have tested positive in the last 90 days, are over 18 and have received a booster shot or are under 18 and fully vaccinated.
PCR tests for COVID-19 will be available to home-care and community-care workers, provincial demonstration schools and hospital schools. Officials said the province will not open PCR testing to the general public because of wider availability of rapid tests.
Officials said there will be a “final extension” of Ontario’s emergency powers to the end of April in case they are needed, noting it is impossible to predict when a dangerous new variant might surface.