Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore called for Ontarians to return to masking when around vulnerable people, but did not go as far as mandating it for the province.."What we are facing is a triple threat that requires our collective action and action to protect the most vulnerable in our communities," Moore said during a press conference on Monday..Moore said Ontario's health system is facing "extraordinary pressure" from a "triple-threat" of COVID-19, influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). As such, he is recommending Ontarians return to masking, especially around "the very young, the very old and those with underlying medical issues."."I'm asking we be very careful around our children four and under. It's hard to mandate [masking] for those social environments. My job today is to educate Ontarians," Moore said..Moore warned that pediatric hospitals across Ontario have been dealing with an unprecedented surge of sick children in recent weeks. Medical officials have also been increasingly calling for the public to return to masking. .Because of public health measures taken in response to COVID-19, children were not being regularly exposed to germs. But with the end of social distancing and mask mandates, their immune systems are struggling to deal with a resurgence of the flu and RSV..A low national supply of acetaminophen and ibuprofen has also exacerbated the situation. With fewer parents able to control their children's fevers at home, trips to the hospital are being made more likely..Moore encouraged parents, grandparents and siblings to "get back to the basics" and mask up when around children..One reporter asked for clarification on masking at home. "If I'm a mom to a toddler and I wake up to the sniffles, you're saying I should wear a mask at home?" she asked.."I'm sorry, but you should," Moore responded. "You should be doing good hand hygiene, cleaning surfaces, masking as best you can to decrease the risk to that child.".Moore said Ontarians need to get back to using all the layers of protection that have proven to work over the course of the pandemic.."I'm asking Ontarians, especially children six months of age and older, pregnant individuals, families and caregivers with young children, health-care workers and elderly, and those with underlying health conditions, to get your flu shot as soon as possible, [to] protect themselves and those around them," Moore said.."We should all be screening daily for signs of illness and stay home when you are sick," he added..When asked about a potential return to capacity limits and lockdowns, Moore said a mask mandate "would be the furthest we'd have to go."
