Officials in Ontario said on Wednesday that the province was dropping its universal mask mandate, weeks after truckers paralyzed Ottawa during their protests over coronavirus restrictions.
Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said at a news briefing that the province would end its mask requirement in most places on March 21, although he added that “removing the mask mandate does not mean the risk is gone.”
The move comes about a month after a caravan of truckers occupied Ottawa’s streets for three weeks, enraging residents and encouraging copycat movements, while they protested over the Canadian government’s pandemic measures.
Ontario did not immediately change its policies, but on March 1 the health authorities lifted a vaccine-verification requirement at local businesses and removed capacity limits indoors.
Dr. Moore said on Wednesday that because case trends had generally been “downward or stable” since those restrictions were lifted, most people would not be required to wear masks indoors, including in schools.
Masks will still be required on public transportation and at health care facilities, Dr. Moore said.
“We are now learning to live with and manage Covid-19 for the long term,” he said, adding that he expected to see a small increase in cases and hospitalizations as more people interacted with one another.
However, Dr. Moore said that people in Ontario should be prepared to wear masks indoors again if another variant emerges or if cases surge during the winter.
