Ontario should have extended masking for all high-risk settings, says new science table head

The head of Ontario's expert pandemic advisory table says while key indicators suggest COVID-19 in the province is improving, he would have liked to see all remaining mask mandates in high-risk settings in place for a little while longer.

On Wednesday, the province's chief medical officer of health, announced most mask mandatory mask rules will expire Saturday, including on transit and in hospitals. Masks will still be required in Ontario long-term care homes and retirement homes after Saturday,

Dr. Fahad Razak, the new scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, told CBC Radio's Metro Morning the provincial requirement could have been extended for at least four more weeks to help relieve some of the pressure on hospitals that will now have to enforce their own mask rules.

"I'm heartened to see many hospitals have already announced that they will continue to require them," Razak said Thursday. "I suspect you'll see most institutions will require it."

Razak, who is also an internist at Unity Health Toronto, said while key indicators including wastewater data, positivity rate, hospitalizations and ICU numbers, suggest the province's COVID-19 situation is improving, there is still lots of pressure on hospitals with staff who are sick or burnt out.

Extending mask rules would have continued to provide an "extra buffer" of protection, he said.

Razak said while many health experts wanted to see the mandates extended, the decision to lift them was mainly a "judgment call" by the province.

"This decision had to be made at some time … I have to fully acknowledge there is not an exact number you can hang your hat on," he said.

"It's impossible for anyone to say today or tomorrow is exactly the right day."

Dr. Kieran Moore, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Wednesday that he made the decision based on high vaccination rates and improvements in the provincial COVID-19 situation.

Provincial masking requirements in areas such as public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and retirement homes were initially set to expire on April 27, but that deadline was extended earlier this year to June 11.

"The province will continue to monitor for any significant changes, including any new variants of concern, to ensure we are adapting our response to protect the health and safety of all Ontarians," he said.

Rules requiring that people wear masks on public transit and most health-care settings will expire at 12 a.m. on Saturday. Mask requirements lifted in most other settings in March, along with essentially all other public health measures aimed at stemming the spread of COVID-19 in the province.

Masks are still "strongly recommended" in high-risk congregate settings like group homes and shelters, his statement said.