Ontario's remaining COVID-19 mask mandates set to expire this weekend

Ontario’s remaining mask mandates are set to expire this weekend, effectively bringing an end to more than two years of public health restrictions in the province.

The mask mandate for most settings was lifted back on March 21 but has remained in effect for a number of higher risk locations, including on public transit, in health-care settings such as at hospitals or in doctor’s offices, at long-term care and retirement homes and in shelters and other congregate settings that provide care to medically and socially vulnerable individuals.

Initially, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore had intended to lift the mandate for high-risk settings by April 27 but he extended it due to the sixth wave of the pandemic.

It is now slated to expire at midnight on June 11.

CTV News Toronto did reach out to the Ministry of Health for confirmation that the mandate will be lifted as scheduled on Saturday and was told that Moore “is currently reviewing and monitoring key indicators across the province.”

“We will continue to seek and follow his advice on next steps,” a spokesperson for the ministry said.

The expected lifting of the mandate comes amid a dramatically improved viral picture in the province.

According to the latest data, there are now 526 people hospitalized with COVID-19, down from a sixth-wave peak of 1,730 in late April.

The number of COVID patients being treated in intensive care is also down to 114, which is approaching numbers not seen since last summer.

Meanwhile, wastewater surveillance data continues to point to declining levels of viral activity in most areas of the province.

It should be noted that the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has not indicated what it plans to do, however spokesperson Stuart Green told CTV News Toronto that the transit commission doesn’t want to end up in a situation where there is “a patchwork of rules where one transit agencies has a mandate and another doesn't.”

“We're really like every transit agency in the province. We're waiting for word from the chief medical officer as to whether or not the mask mandate for public transit continues or is lifted on Saturday,” he said. “If it's lifted on Saturday we will communicate any changes to our customers at that time and if it's not lifted we will also let them know that but really at this point we're still in a bit of a holding pattern.”