In gentle of the announcement that Ontario will raise most masks mandates for indoor settings on March 21, the pinnacle of the province’s COVID-19 science desk is weighing in on whether or not the transfer is sensible.
Dr. Peter Juni, director of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Desk, instructed CTV Information Channel on Wednesday that it appears too early to make sure we are able to safely raise masks mandates.
“I want to observe the information,” he mentioned. “I can’t proper now, it’s too early to already see the influence of the final reopening step which occurred first of March. So I'd have most well-liked — however that’s how I’m conditioned as a scientist — to build up about 10 days extra of knowledge, after which see, can we stay secure after the final reopening step. If sure, let’s do the subsequent one, if no, let’s look forward to a second.”
On March 1, Ontario formally ceased its vaccine mandates that required companies akin to eating places to require proof of vaccination to make use of their indoor amenities.
With the intention to really see if the top of vaccine mandates impacted case ranges in Ontario, or whether or not Ontario instances have been unaffected, we would want to attend round two weeks after March 1st, Juni identified. This is likely one of the causes that some consultants really feel the elimination of masks mandates within the province is untimely.
Juni acknowledged that reopening steps which have unfolded since January, such because the reopening of faculties have occurred with out instances rising, which is a optimistic indicator.
“We noticed that the [previous] reopening steps really labored and we stayed secure,” he mentioned.
However when it comes to whether or not eradicating vaccine mandates will end in extra instances or not, “proper now, it’s too early to inform,” he mentioned.
“I personally would have most well-liked to attend about 10 days to 2 weeks to provide you with a call [on mask mandates], and this might additionally allowed us to see what the expertise of Quebec will likely be with their lifting of masks mandates in faculties.”
He mentioned that the general knowledge that they've “offers me fairly some confidence” however that it’s the shortage of certainty that retains him from endorsing the transfer totally.
“We’re nonetheless secure, and I'd simply a lot want that we hold it that method, that we don’t begin to see an uptick of instances adopted by hospital occupancy,” he mentioned.
He added that if there's a raise in instances in response to any of those reopening measures, it's “extremely unlikely that this will likely be on the identical degree of what we noticed in December."
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