Ontario’s top doctor to recommend masking in public: sources

Ontario’s top doctor will recommend the public begin masking on Monday in an effort to help overwhelmed children’s hospitals, according to government sources.

The two sources, speaking on a condition of anonymity, tell the Canadian Press there will be no mask mandate put in place.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore has said this fall and winter would see a resurgence of respiratory illnesses and he would recommend masking in certain indoor settings if hospitals began cancelling surgeries to deal with a surge of patients.

When asked about the expected masking reccomendation, Premier Doug Ford said “I encourage every single person when possible [to mask], especially people with respiratory problems.”

On the implementation of a mask mandate, Premier Ford only said he will be listening to the advice of Dr. Moore.

“Right from day one, all the way through the pandemic, I’ve always listened to the Chief Medical Officer of Ontario and I’m gonna continue to listen to Dr. Moore. And we’ll see what he has to say tomorrow,” said Ford.

A press conference has been scheduled for 9 a.m. with Dr. Moore.

“Get your vaccination … wear a mask where possible, especially if you have respiratory problems. That’s the key here. So let’s stay safe. Continue washing your hands. Let’s go back to the basics as what we did throughout the pandemic,” he added.

Toronto’s SickKids hospital says starting on Nov. 14, surgical care will focus on emergency, urgent and most time-sensitive cases, as they reduce procedures to reserve critical capacity. McMaster children’s hospital is also diverting urgent surgeries due to the influx of pediatric patients.

Recent data shows that Ontario is over capacity with pediatric ICU beds, with the number of children receiving care exceeding the number of available units.

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Some health experts have suggested the province is already past the point of requiring mask mandates again.

Liberal health critic Dr. Adil Shamji recently said masking is a measure the Ford government could implement “very quickly and easily” to reduce pressures, while calling on the province to share more real-time data on the healthcare crisis.

The office of health minister Sylvia Jones declined an interview with CityNews this week but issued a statement that said the government is in “constant contact with our pediatric hospitals, Ontario Health, and other health system partners to alleviate critical care pressures and ensure all patients receive the care they need.”

The health minister’s office said Ontario Health has directed all pediatric hospitals to “have a surge plan in place.”

Last week, Ontario Health directed general hospitals to accept children 14 and older who need critical care to ease the burden on pediatric facilities. Children’s hospitals have said most kids in intensive care are five years old and younger.

Physicians at a news conference hosted by the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) on Wednesday advised that influenza arrived early this year, and more than half of Canadian cases of the illness have been in children and teenagers.

In addition to COVID-19 and flu season, a significant increase in a common illness known as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) means longer wait times to see a doctor, and the problem is only expected to get worse as winter arrives with health experts fearing a “tripledemic.”

The Ontario Hospital Association is also asking people to wear masks indoors and to get up-to-date vaccinations for COVID-19 and influenza.

With files from The Canadian Press