Mask Mandate to be Lifted ... But let's all be Careful Shall we???
Guelph Wellington – As the Ontario government considers removing the province-wide mask mandate in a few weeks, expect the local mask mandate in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph to disappear at the same time.
The area began mandating face coverings at work and in businesses in June, 2020 – months ahead of a similar order from the province in October, 2020.
At Wednesday’s board of health meeting, medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Dr. Nicola Mercer said she plans remove the local mandate at the same time as the province.
"It is my intention to align our mask orders with the province, meaning that unless there is a specific local reason that we must maintain my mask order, my mask order would be removed on that date," Dr.Mercer said.
Earlier this week on Monday, Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliot both indicated the provincial mandate could be gone sometime after March break.
Face coverings are still required on public transportation vehicles until the Province removes this requirement under the Reopening Ontario Act, anticipated to take place on April 27, 2022.
As of March 21, 2022, face coverings will no longer be required in the following public indoor spaces:
Schools, hospitals and other provincial and federal facilities were not included in the by-law.
"QUOTES" Worth Noting
Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
President Karen Brown. “Lifting the mask mandate too soon may result in further disruption to in-person learning and negative impacts on the health and safety of ETFO members, students, and their families. Ontarians deserve stability and safety, not more chaos.”
As leaders in children’s health, we know that masking is an important layer of protection to prevent COVID-19 and has prevented widespread transmission in school settings. While there have been recent calls to remove this public health measure, now is not the time.
President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children Ronald Cohn has said the province should revisit the use of masks in schools about two weeks after students return from March Break. Adds Brown, “Premier Ford and Minister Lecce have consistently said they will follow the advice of the medical community. It’s clear they only mean they follow those who are aligned with their political agenda and who will help them get re-elected.”
Throughout the pandemic, the provincial government repeatedly failed to make necessary investments to keep schools open to in-person learning, and to ensure the health and safety of students and ETFO members. They simply cannot be trusted to do the right thing.
High school teacher Martha Crealock with the Waterloo Region District School Board
"It really concerns me that people are having March Breaks where they're interacting with many people, and maybe vacationing or breathing shared air on a plane."
I'm already anxious about a spike in COVID-19 cases after students head back to class on Monday. At that point, students in Ontario public schools will no longer be required to wear masks.
"When they come back on Monday, if people are unmasked in the classroom, I think that we will see infection rates go up."
Dr. Andrea Chittler Guelph Physician
Dr. Andrea Chittle, a family physician based in Guelph, Ont., has launched a petition asking the province to extend mask mandates in schools.
Dr. Chittle shares Martha Crealock's concern. The Guelph-based family doctor has launched a petition asking the province to keep mask mandates in school a little while longer — and it quickly racked up more than 10,000 signatures.
"The vaccination rate among children between five and 11 is still relatively low, with just over 55 per cent of kids in that age group having had at least one dose. Meanwhile, children under five aren't yet eligible for vaccination, and COVID-19 is still circulating in the community."
"People enrolled their elementary and secondary school students in in-person schooling this year with an understanding that they would benefit from layers of protection, as the Ministry of Education and the Ford government promised."
"To remove those protections when we still have a lot of COVID circulating seems like it's leaving those families and individuals in the lurch."