International travelers walk through the arrivals hall at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Ontario will remove the mandatory masking requirement for most settings on March 21, with the exception of select settings such as public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and congregate care settings, according to a statement.
OTTAWA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- COVID-19 public health restrictions, including mask mandates, will continue being lifted across Canada in the coming weeks as Ontario's chief medical officer of health confirmed Wednesday the province will drop its mask mandate on March 21.
Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario, the province with the largest population in Canada, said in a statement that the government will remove the mandatory masking requirement for most settings on that day, with the exception of select settings such as public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and congregate care settings.
"With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been able to cautiously and gradually move through its reopening milestones," he said. "While this does not signal that COVID-19 has disappeared or that the pandemic is over, it does mean that we have come to a place where we know what we need to do to manage this virus and to keep each other safe."
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Friday that federal agencies overseeing masking mandates in Canada for things like domestic travel were evaluating the situation and could make policy adjustments as needed in the coming days and weeks.
COVID-19 public health restrictions are also being lifted in other provinces. Alberta lifted almost all COVID-19 restrictions on March 1. Saskatchewan lifted mask mandate on March 1. Manitoba and Quebec will follow suit soon.
CTV updated Wednesday that Canada, with a population of 37 million, recorded its national COVID-19 caseload of 3,341,487 with 37,134 related deaths. ■
