The county was due to lift coverage requirements for all other arrangements, including hospitals, long-term care and public transportation, from April 27, but during a briefing Monday, Chief Medical Officer Dr.  Kieran Moore said he now believes it would be appropriate to maintain the requirement for the time being.
His comment comes amid a resurgence of viral activity that Prime Minister Doug Ford described as a “small spike”.  Sewage monitoring, however, suggests that Ontario could see transmission levels comparable to the peak of the pandemic Omicron wave in January, raising real concerns about the potential impact on hospitals in the coming weeks.
“We clearly believe that this wave is not going to subside until mid or late May, so we are considering extending (the mask mandate) to all of these high-risk facilities,” Moore said.  “Our team is writing it.  We will present it to the government and the government will make the final decision, but for me it makes a lot of sense to keep it. “
The Ford government lifts mask orders for most adjustments on March 21, but has since seen an exponential increase in COVID-19 transmission, with the head of the county science board telling CP24 last week that he now believes Ontario could see 100,000 to 120,000 new cases every day.
The wave coincided with the most contagious BA.2 variant that became dominant in Ontario, although an Ontario Public Health report released Friday said the resurgence was linked, at least in part, to the removal of mask orders.
The team of scientists and epidemiologists behind the report suggested that restoring the mask to a “population level” could be “effective in reducing transmission while allowing Community regulation and activities to continue”.
However, Moore said during his briefing that he had no plans to recommend the return of a broad base of mandatory coverage, at least for now.
Instead, he said it was his “strong recommendation” that Ontarians wear masks indoors, given the increase in transmission, whether or not required by law.
“While we are not going to restore a broad mask order right now, we should all be prepared that we may need to reiterate the requirement to use a mask indoors if a new variation of concern arises if there is a threat to our healthcare system. “During the winter months, when COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are likely to re-emerge,” he said.
600 COVID patients could be in the ICU
The number of people being treated for COVID-19 has risen by 66 percent in the last two weeks.
So far, the jump in intensive care unit admissions has been less pronounced (from 158 to 184), but this has always been a sign of lag, and Moore said the “current model” suggests that up to 600 people with COVID-19 could they end up in the intensive care unit, approaching the peak the province saw at the pinnacle of the wave powered by Omicron last winter.
Selective procedures were then once again put on hold to conserve hospital resources, adding to Ontario’s growing backlog.
Moore told reporters Monday that he believes the hospital system has the resources to handle the influx of COVID-19 patients.
However, at least one hospital leader is concerned about the impact that another sudden increase in hospitalizations could have on the wider healthcare system.
“We have to remember that the healthcare workforce is exhausted, but also that we live in society like everyone else, our children go to school like everyone else and if I get COVID from my child, you know, I can not work for a “It takes me a long time to get out of rotation, which puts more pressure on my colleagues,” Michael Garron, the hospital’s director of intensive care, told CP24.  Michael Warner.  “It’s really important to minimize transmission to minimize the number of healthcare workers who are unable to work, because that puts more pressure on hospitals and we generally run the edge of the knife.  You could argue that we should have more capacity, but that is not going to be fixed in the next six to eight weeks.
Warner told CP24 that he understands resistance to the reintroduction of the mask mandate in all areas, as he believes that “people at higher risk need to make some decisions to protect themselves”, such as not going to a crowded restaurant or sporting event.
Warner, however, said that when it comes to non-discreet activities such as grocery shopping, he would like the mask to be reintroduced.
Meanwhile, in an irrelevant press conference later Monday, Prime Minister Doug Ford said that the decision on whether to wear a mask or a ditch should be based on “common sense” and not on legislation.
“It simply came to our notice then.  When you enter a really crowded room, drop the mask.  “No one is going to force you – but I would recommend it,” he said.
First public briefing since March 
Moore’s press conference on Monday marked the first time he had spoken directly to Ontario residents about the COVID-19 pandemic in more than a month.
Asked about his absence from the public scene, Moore said it was the responsibility of local health care leaders across Ontario to “spread” pandemic information “at community level.
He said that if he had “new messages” to provide, he would “absolutely” do so, from time to time.
Regarding the increase in viral activity, Moore said that it is not completely unexpected given the spread of BA.2 subtype, combined with the decrease in immunity from vaccination.
For this reason, he said, he continues to urge Ontarians eligible for a fourth installment to seek one immediately.
“Over time your protection levels weaken by about 90 percent protection against BA.2 at 80, 70 and then 60. That’s why I’m here today to really promote a booster dose of the vaccine. “We announced last week,” he said.