The province’s top doctor says he and his team are expected to make new recommendations to the government this week, on when masking and the proof-of-vaccination system should end.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, says a steady decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations may force the government’s hand to adjust public health measures sooner rather than later.
“We will be reviewing the evidence,” said Moore. “The evidence is showing that we’re making remarkable improvement in all of the key metrics in Ontario. That forces us to review all public health measures that are in play.”
“None of them are expected to remain in play longer than they need to be, and/or have a benefit to protect Ontarians. We are anticipating to make recommendations to government as soon as [this] week.”
Moore spoke on February 11, the day Ontario reported a total of 1,829 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the province, down 68 from Feb. 10. There were also 435 people in intensive care units, down 10 from the previous day’s count.
Moore’s comments came one day after Health Minister and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott said the province ‘has no plans’ to drop the proof-of-vaccination system or masking, despite other provinces doing so.
Manitoba has announced plans to remove proof of vaccination requirements on March 1st, while Alberta’s system ended last week and masking is set to end later this week. Saskatchewan's proof-of-vaccination ends today, with masking expected until the end of the month.
As well as public health measures at a societal level, Moore says leadership will also be looking closely at the situation in Ontario’s elementary, secondary and post-secondary schools.
“My initial feeling is we keep measures in the school setting to ensure workers, families and students have confidence to go to school. I anticipate that measures that we may remove at a societal level, would remain in the school setting for a bit longer,” explained Moore.
Overall, Moore says Ontario is still aiming to loosen restrictions by February 21, if they don’t adjust their plans ahead of time.
Indoor limits are set to move to 25 people, while outdoor limits grow to 100. Ontario says they may look at removing capacity limits in indoor public settings where proof of vaccination is required, including restaurants, theatres and recreational facilities.
Step three of the province’s reopening plan is then set to take effect by March 14, where Ontario says they’ll remove all capacity limits in indoor settings, but proof of vaccination will likely still be in effect.
Moore explains that despite most restrictions likely ending within the next couple of months, there’s still no timeline for finally removing masking or Ontario’s proof-of-vaccination system.
“COVID-19 though, is not going away,” adds Moore. “We need to continue to apply what we have learned, and what we know works. It’s clear that the situation in Ontario today as it relates to COVID-19 is different than when proof-of-vaccination and masking requirements were first introduced.”
“With this in mind, we are looking at the plan to consider when we can recommend to government what additional measures can be eased. This includes keeping our masks on for a while longer, and planning for when proof-of-vaccination can be discontinued.”
Under a previous plan, which was stopped due to the rise of the Omicron variant, Ontario was set to remove masking and its proof-of-vaccination system by the end of March.
When speaking at a Friday morning press conference, regarding the state of emergency and ongoing protests in Ottawa, Premier Ford says plans are in the works to eliminate the proof-of-vaccination system.
"Today we are on track to very soon remove almost all restrictions for businesses as a part of our reopening plan. And we heard from Dr. Moore last week, and again yesterday, that he is now working on a plan that will allow us to remove the vaccine passport system. My friends, this is great news and a sign of just how far we have come together in this fight."