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Province May End Mask Mandate by End of March

Ontario's top doctor says province is considering removing mask mandates by the end of March.

The province's Chief Medical Officer of Health says Ontario may lift its mask mandate by the end of the month. 

Dr. Kieran Moore made the comment during a briefing this afternoon. 

He said that while modelling suggests the BA.2 subvariant becoming dominant in Ontario by mid-March, there is no evidence that this strain is more virulent than previous ones.

Moore noted for that reason, he thinks the province will be able to lift the mask mandate for most indoor settings by the end of the month, and he thinks the highest risk is behind us. 

Moore has previously said some high-risk settings like long-term care homes and hospitals may keep the mask mandate for a longer period. 

He also said while wastewater surveillance data is showing a spike in virus spread, that isn't entirely expected due to public health restrictions being lifted. 

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