Ontario Mask Mandates Will Officially Be Ending & Here's What You Need To Know

The Ontario government just announced that masks will soon be behind us for good over the next couple of months.

As of March 21, Ontarians will no longer be required to wear masks at most indoor places, including schools.

Then, starting on April 27, all masking requirements will be lifted at all remaining spots, which include public transit, long-term care and retirement homes, health care settings, shelters, jails and other congregate care and living settings.

"With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been able to cautiously and gradually move through its reopening milestones," government officials wrote.

The government lifted a slew of public health measures earlier this month, with vaccine passports officially scrapped and the remaining capacity limits at venues removed as of March 1.

On top of masks becoming optional, the Ontario government shared a timeline and some directives for the province on how to live with COVID-19 and enter a post-pandemic world.

Businesses and organizations can choose to end their mandatory vaccine policies starting March 14, and the Reopening Ontario Act will officially expire towards the end of March.

Ontario pointed to decreased COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions, as well as a stabilizing positivity rate, as some of the key indicators to why the government has chosen to ease remaining public health measures.

In December, the City of Toronto extended its masking bylaws until April. However, it is being reported that the City is looking to change this to match provincial guidance.

But this might not be the last time Ontarians will be expected to mask up.

“We should all be prepared that we may need to resume mask-wearing if a new variant of concern emerges or potentially during the winter months when COVID and other respiratory viruses are likely to circulate again,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said in a March 9 press conference.