Ontario's top doctor says recommendations to ease COVID-19 rules could be made to government next week
Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said Thursday that Ontario officials are looking at considerations around easing COVID-19 public health measures.
Dr. Moore said he is anticipating making recommendations to the provincial government "as soon as next week."
"No public health measure should be in place longer than it has to be," he said, adding that changes will bee "evidence-based" and "science driven."
Speaking to proof of vaccination rules specifically, Dr. Moore indicated that removing this measure is in the plans.
"We have 6.6 million Ontarians who have come forward for their third doses," Ontario's chief medical officer of health said. "We’re not going to hold back and mandate, through proof of vaccination, that five more million Ontarians get immunized with third doses."
"[Two doses] does protect you against ending up in an intensive care unit and/or death. It's done its job protecting Ontarians and because [ages] 12 plus, we have over 90 per cent protection now, I think it’s a prudent time to review proof of vaccination."
Dr. Moore did identify that measures in schools may last longer, including the use of masks.
"My initial feeling is that we keep, initially, measures in the school setting to ensure that parents have confidence, workers have confidence and students have confidence to go to school," he said. "I anticipate that the measures that we may remove at a societal level will remain in the school setting a bit longer to maintain that safety protocol."
