Mississauga Is Keeping Its Mask Bylaw Even Though Ontario Is Dropping It & Here's Why

The Ontario government may have lifted the mask mandates across the province, but that doesn't mean every city in Ontario is ready to go mask-free.

In a tweet posted on Monday at 11:41 a.m., the city of Mississauga reminded its residents that masks will still be required in indoor public spaces even though the majority of Ontario is no longer required to mask up.

"Do you need to wear a mask in Mississauga today? Yes, you do. Our Mandatory Mask By-law - which requires masks in public, indoor places - remains in effect until March 31," reads the tweet.

Mississauga's city council is set to decide on March 23 whether they will lift the mandatory mask by-law ahead of schedule or keep the rule in place until March 31.

The city of Mississauga told Global News that "Given some administrative requirements, this decision to alter/remove a by-law has to be made at a City Council meeting, and the first planned one following the Province's announcement on changes to masking requirements is March 23."

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie says she anticipates "the decision will be to align with the province and lift the mandate," according to Global News.

Earlier this month, the Ontario government announced mask mandates would be lifted on March 21. So as of today, masks are no longer required in most indoor settings, with some exceptions.

Next month, on April 27, all COVID-19 regulations and mask requirements will be dropped as the province switches tactics and moves towards dealing with COVID-19 in the long term.

So Mississauga residents may just have to wait a few more days before choosing to go out mask-free.