ONTARIO TO DROP MOST MASK MANDATES ,By 21st MARCH.....Sources Say.

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada

Ontario will drop most COVID-19 mask mandates – including in schools, restaurants and stores – across the province on March 21.



Two sources with Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government confirmed the information, first reported Tuesday night.



The Ford government lifted all COVID-19 capacity limits in indoor settings and scrapped its vaccine certificate system on March 1. Proof of vaccination was no longer required at most restaurants, gyms and movie theatres. Nightclubs, sporting and concert venues were allowed to get rid of capacity limits and restrictions were also lifted on social gathering sizes



At the time, Ford was somewhat vague when commenting on when mask mandates might be lifted, saying they would stay in place for a few more weeks. In a news conference last Thursday, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore told reporters the province could lift its mask mandate by the end of March if key pandemic indicators continue to improve.



The news comes as public health officials say the wave of infections caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant continues to wane in the province.