Two government sources say Ontario’s top doctor will recommend the public start wearing masks on Monday in an effort to help overwhelmed children’s hospitals.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the process publicly, say there will be no mask mandate.
The Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, said this autumn and winter there would be a resurgence of respiratory illnesses and he would recommend a mask in certain indoor areas if hospitals started canceling surgeries to cope with a surge of patients.
Children’s hospitals across the province are already overwhelmed with pediatric patients.
The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa said they were canceling surgeries to reassign health care workers to intensive care and emergency departments.
The Ontario Hospital Association is asking people to wear masks indoors and get up-to-date COVID-19 and flu shots.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on November 12, 2022.
