Province lifts mask mandate

ONTARIO — When masks were first mandated in Ontario in early 2020, nobody — including politicians and health officials — expected Ontarians would have to wear those masks for two years.

As of Monday March 21, the mask mandate in most settings was rescinded, allowing bare-faced shoppers and diners to enter retail and restaurant settings without the masks on their faces.

As of Monday also, school students were allowed to attend school without masking.

The decision by the Ontario government to remove the mask mandate did not come without detractors, who spent the past two weeks begging Premier Ford, Dr. Moore and their offices to consider leaving the masks on in schools until April 1.

The concern is that students returning from March Break can bring the COVID-19 virus back into the school system with them and spread it easily without masks being worn.

Time will tell if the system can withstand surges in cases in the coming weeks, and life can continue returning to a more normal, pre-pandemic state.

As of Monday, patrons in retail and restaurant settings no longer had to wear masks, but were encouraged to do so.