The Ontario government no longer requires people who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate for five days.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Dr. Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer Of Health, said that infected individuals should stay home until their fever clears or their symptoms improved for "at least 24 hours."
Moore cited the province's high vaccination rates and other COVID-19 prevention methods in the decision, arguing that it should decrease the risk of all respiratory viruses.
"This combination of strategies should be a more pragmatic and practical approach to return to the school with the least disruption that we can have in the school and work environment," he said.
The referenced strategies included improving ventilation systems and environment cleaning.
The province's top doctor is also instructing people who test positive for the virus to wear a mask "in any setting" for ten days from the start of their symptoms, even if they don't feel sick.
"These individuals who are recovered in terms of their symptoms should continue to wear masks to decrease the risk," he adds."We now can have a more permissive approach to return once your symptoms are improving and your fevers have completely resolved," he adds.
This fall, the government will shift its COVID-19 guidelines, which have been the standard for two years, to an "all virus approach," which will treat contracting the novel virus similar to the flu and cold.
As the last restrictions of the pandemic fade away, it's important to remember that there are still immunocompromised people out there, which means it is still vital to stay home when you're sick.
