Ontario's Top Doctor Says More Masking Recommendations Are Coming To Help Fight COVID-19

Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's medical officer of health, is encouraging the public to mask up following a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province.

In an interview on Thursday, Dr. Moore told CP24 that the province has "absolutely seen a rise in risk for COVID over the last several weeks" and is preparing for what could be a "complex and difficult winter" in terms of the virus.

"We will be making more recommendations of wearing masks to cut down the risk of all these viruses that are transmitted through personal contact," he said to CP24.

He added that they are monitoring the data on COVID-19 and influenza cases "very closely" and their impact on the health care system, and "will make recommendations based on data."

"But certainly at present, as we're seeing the numbers just in the last two weeks go up, my recommendation would be for anyone at risk to this virus to continue to mask as you're going indoors and at-risk public settings," he said.

The province announced the rollout of bivalent COVID-19 booster doses to Ontarians aged 12 and up starting on Monday, October 17 and Dr. Moore encouraged people to stay up to date on all of their vaccines.

"Heading into the winter, we know influenza and COVID and a virus called RSV will have an impact on our health system. Those two, influenza and COVID, we can prevent that impact with staying up to date [with vaccines]," he told CP24.

Dr. Moore also encouraged people to stay home when they are sick as well as practice good hand-washing hygiene.

"If we see a significant impact on the health system, we will be making more and more recommendations of wearing masks to cut down the risk of all these viruses that are transmitted through close personal contact as we go indoors."

The Ministry of Health told CTV News Toronto that Moore's masking recommendations would be for the public and not a recommendation to the government to reinstate mask mandates.