“COVID-19 risk continues, and masking remains a key strategy to protect yourself and others,” said Piggott. “I strongly recommend continuing to wear your mask, and with colleagues am asking the Chief Medical Officer of Health to consider broadening the temporary mask requirement to protect our communities.”
The letter, sent to Dr. Kieran moore, awas signed by Dr. Piggott, Dr. M. Mustafa Hirji, Medical Officer of Health & Commissioner (Acting), Niagara Region Public Health & Emergency Services and Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Acting Medical Officer of Health, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
In the letter suggests that Ontario temporarily broadens the mask requirements in Ontario to include indoor public spaces such as workplaces, schools, college and universities, as well as essential service settings (such as grocery stores and pharmacies).
They reference the Ontario Science Table, that has recently reported persistently high amounts of COVID-19 in the wastewater, as a key marker of transmission.
They also note that in each respective region, hospitalizations have either remained steady, or increased since the last wave.
“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,” the three note.
