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‘Why is the Ontario government in such a rush?’: Residents cautious, unhappy as province lifts mask mandate

‘Why is the Ontario government in such a rush?’: Residents cautious, unhappy as province lifts mask mandate

Monday, March 21 marks the first day of masks no longer being a requirement in most indoor settings in Ontario.

"It is now a choice not a mandate," Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health, said at a press conference earlier this month. "Removing the mask mandate does not mean the risk is gone, COVID-19 transmission is still occurring across the province and masks can help protect you, and others, from becoming infected with COVID-19."

"You have to recognize, you can't mandate masking forever. It has to be, eventually, an individual choice based on an individual's risk assessment, and we're at that point, by March 21."

While masks are no longer required in school settings, based on the provincial government's changes, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has decided to move forward with an extension of the mandatory masking rules for students and staff for an additional two weeks, until April 1. This is being done to "mitigate spread of COVID after March Break and accommodate students seeking to transition to remote learning," a letter from the school board reads.

Health experts in Ontario continue to take to social media to comment on the removal of the mask mandate and sharing their personal recommendations for the public moving forward.

Other Ontarians have also taken to social media to share their thoughts on the removal of the mask mandate and sharing what they are seeing on the first day of that change.

Many comments online have also highlighted that many children, returning from March Break, are wearing masks as they return to school.