Local medical officers of health pen letter to Ontario's top doctor asking for mask mandates back
Three local medical officers of health have written a joint letter to Ontario's top doctor, asking him to bring back mask mandates in schools and other indoor public settings.
Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagara Region's medical officer of health, Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, the Windsor-Essex County's medical officer of health, and Dr. Thomas Piggott, Peterborough's medical officer of health, penned the letter and sent it to Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, on Wednesday.
They praised Moore for extending mask mandates in hospitals, long-term care homes, transit and other high-risk settings until June and urged him to widen it further to include indoor public places, including workplaces, schools, universities, colleges, and essential service places like pharmacies and groceries.
"To be fully effective and clear in communication to Ontarians, we believe this is needed at a provincial, not a local level," the letter reads.
"Like you, we had hoped that as masking and other protections ceased to be requirements, that we would be able to get through this wave without much suffering or long-term disruption. Unfortunately, this does not seem to have played out as we had hoped."
In March, the Ford government lifted the mask mandate for most settings. That decision, according to a brief from Public Health Ontario (PHO), contributed to the province's sixth wave which saw about 100,000 to 120,000 daily cases at one point in April.
The surge led to repeated calls for the government to reintroduce masking, especially in schools. But, the province repeatedly insisted that it was not needed.
In their letter, the three doctors noted that COVID-19 hospitalizations in their regions continue to exceed figures from previous pandemic waves. It led Niagara's main hospital to ramp down surgeries to 70 per cent, they said, adding that, earlier this week, 100 patients were admitted without a bed.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has clearly had a disproportionate impact on the individuals and communities with the worst social determinants of health. The current persistently high transmission of COVID-19 is exacerbating inequalities in our society," the doctors wrote.
"This subjects those with inequities to more infections, more hospitalizations, more isolation from work and school, more lost income due to isolation, and more risk of long-term disability with Post-Acute COVID Syndrome (aka Long COVID)."
In the letter, the doctors highlighted the importance of masking in reducing COVID-19 infections, asking Moore to reconsider imposing mandates.
"The return of masking could help protect those with inequities and vulnerabilities, relieve the pressures on our hospitals, and most importantly protect the health of the people we serve," they said.
On Thursday, Ontario reported 32 more COVID-19 deaths and saw day-over-day hospitalizations drop.
Dr. Peter Juni, the scientific director of Ontario's COVID-19 science advisory table, said earlier this week that it appears hospitalizations have also now peaked at 1,700. He added that a decline in wastewater indicators of COVID in the coming weeks would likely be followed by a decrease in hospital admissions.
"So whatever you're doing in terms of your behaviour — with contacts, masking, etc. — keep doing that for a few more weeks," he said. "But I think we're on the right track now."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
'Of course, yes': Poland latest European country with interest in Canadian LNG
The President of Poland says his country would 'of course' be interested in purchasing Canadian liquefied natural gas if it were available, while the Canadian federal government has said it is 'not interested' in subsidizing future projects.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Chants of 'shame on you' greet guests arriving for the annual White House correspondents' dinner
An election-year roast of U.S. President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents' dinner Saturday.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
A top Qatari official urges Israel and Hamas to do more to reach a ceasefire deal
A senior Qatari official has urged both Israel and Hamas to show "more commitment and more seriousness" in ceasefire negotiations in interviews with Israeli media, as pressure builds on both sides to move toward a deal that would set Israeli hostages free and bring potential respite in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.