Ontario Premier Doug Ford advised Ontarians on Sunday to “wear a mask as much as possible.”
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“Wear a mask as much as possible […] get vaccinated, if you haven’t already received [votre dose de rappel], and get your flu shot. These are the recommendations that I have, “said Mr. Ford on the sidelines of a press briefing on the extension of the provincial gas tax reduction in Etobicoke.
The province’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, is expected to announce Monday morning that he recommends wearing a mask but does not make it mandatory, according to several local media.
The recommendation comes as the province’s children’s hospitals deal with a large number of patients and an increase in respiratory illnesses, not to mention the shortage of painkillers for children.
In Quebec, the Ministry of Health concerned
Nothing indicates for the moment that Quebec will take inspiration from this recommendation, however the office of the Minister of Health has expressed great concern about the many viruses circulating and the number of patients in the emergency room.
“We know that the situation is difficult in our emergencies at the moment. It is important to mention that in addition to COVID-19, the increase in cases of influenza and other respiratory viruses in children is of great concern to us,” the QMI Agency was told by email.
The ministry clarified that it was following “the situation very closely with Public Health” and that it “will be able to take stock soon”.
“It remains important to protect yourself and protect others when you have symptoms of COVID-19, but also of other viruses,” it was recalled.