With other provinces across the country loosening or ending their COVID-19 public health measures, is Ontario next?
When asked about Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta adapting to a likely-plateaued fourth wave of the pandemic in a virtual press conference on February 9, Ontario’s Health Minister and Deputy Premier, Christine Elliott, says the province isn’t quite there yet.
“We’ve already set out our reopening timelines. We have no plans currently to drop the passport vaccination situation or masking. We believe that masking will be important for some time to come,” said Elliott.
Manitoba is loosening some of its restrictions by Tuesday, allowing additional visitors, sports to resume and the end of many capacity restrictions. The province says its goal is to end all public health measures by the spring.
Alberta’s proof-of-vaccination system ended earlier this week, while masking in schools and masking for those under the age of 12 in all public spaces end next week. Saskatchewan is set to remove its proof-of-vaccination system by Monday, and masking will only continue until the end of the month.
“We still need to be very careful,” adds Elliott. “Will this remain in place forever? No. But we are not in the clear just yet. So, we need to continue to protect Ontarians and protect each other with the vaccine passports and with masks at this point.”
Elliott notes Ontario is still aiming to loosen restrictions by February 21, if public health trends continue to improve.
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.
Ontario has not provided any timeline for removing masks or the proof-of-vaccination system.
“We are willing to change if necessary, based on the evidence, based on what we see and based on the recommendations from Dr. Moore and his colleagues. It’s a combination of many factors that we as a government take into consideration in making any changes to the plan that we’ve already set out,” adds Elliott.
Elliott made her comments on February 9, as she was announcing that Ontario will be distributing free COVID-19 rapid antigen test kits through pharmacies and grocery stores across the province.