THUNDER BAY – COVID-19 Update – After almost two years of COVID-19 restrictions and public health mandates, Ontario has announced the timeline for removing all public health restrictions, including mask mandates.
Effective March 14:
- Mandatory vaccination policy for employees in long-term care homes is lifted
- Unvaccinated workers in hospitals and other high-risk healthcare settings will no longer have to partake in regular rapid testing
Effective March 21:
- Masking requirements will be removed in most settings including: schools, restaurants and bars, gyms, movie theatres, shopping centres, etc.
- Remaining measures in schools including cohorts and on-site symptom screening are removed
- Remaining regulatory requirements for businesses are removed, including passive screening and having a COVID-19 safety plan
Effective April 27:
- Mask requirements are removed in all remaining settings
- All remaining orders under the Reopening Ontario Act expire
- Remaining health-care directives are lifted, however, the government will still direct health-care workers to wear personal protective equipment
- After this date, masks will not be mandatory but will be encouraged and highly recommended for those who are immunocompromised, at high risk, or who choose to still use them.
