Mask orders have already been lifted in most areas of the province and will be delivered to high-risk environments, such as hospitals and long-term care homes on April 27th.  However, many doctors urge people to continue wearing masks indoors amid a sixth – upward wave in hospitals.
“I would have absolutely no problem with that,” Ford said when asked if he would be open to extending the mask’s mandate for high-risk settings.  “We want to protect the most vulnerable, I always said that from day one.  But I will wait for Dr. Moore to give us the recommendations.  I have the right from day one.  And if he makes us recommendations, I would be very happy to do so. “
In a briefing Monday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr.  Kieran Moore said it was “very reasonable” to extend coverage to high-risk environments beyond April.  He said the current wave of contamination was unlikely to subside by mid-to-late May and that he would soon send recommendations to the government.
Many doctors and health professionals criticized the province’s deadlines for withdrawing the mask as “arbitrary” and said it made no sense to do so as cases and hospitalizations increase.
Although this is no longer required by law in the province, many doctors continue to urge people to wear masks indoors, especially in crowded areas.  Some GTA school boards have also said they are asking all students and staff to continue the mask, although the provincial requirement has been lifted.
Ford himself urged people to remain “cautious” on Easter weekend and to cover if it makes sense to do so.
“I would say be careful, right, be careful,” Ford said.  “If you have 15 people, put on your mask, right.  It does not hurt if you are in a crowded room.  We have been through it for two years.  Common sense prevails.  Correctly?  Put on a mask.  Does not hurt.  That will depend on each individual. “
While Ford said he was open to extending the mask’s mandate for high-risk settings, he reiterated the government’s position that current levels of contamination could be addressed with available tools, such as boosters and antivirals, when asked why it was not extending coverage to other environments such as schools.
“We will follow the advice of Dr.  “Moore and I return to the capacity we have now compared to the beginning of this pandemic,” said Ford.  “We have the capacity in hospitals, we have hired more health workers, we have antiviral pills.  “You know, we’re doing quite well as a province compared to other areas.”
There are currently almost 1,400 people being treated for COVID-19 in Ontario, the highest number since mid-February.