The Middlesex-London Health Unit will require visitors to its offices or vaccination clinics to wear a medical-grade mask even after Ontario lifts its mandate in most settings Monday.
Londoners heading to health unit facilities can’t ditch the face mask just yet.
The Middlesex-London Health Unit will require visitors to its offices or vaccination clinics to wear a medical-grade mask even after Ontario lifts its mandate in most settings Monday.
Masks will be provided to visitors who don’t have one, the unit said in a release Thursday.
All visitors will continue to be screened for COVID-19 symptoms.
Visitors who refuse to mask up will be directed to an isolated area where staff, wearing masks and eye protection will provide services, the health unit said.
On Monday, the province is dropping its mask mandate in most public settings, including retail stores, gyms, schools and restaurants. Masks still will be required for select sectors, including health care and long-term care.
Businesses and organizations can continue to require face masks.
Alex Summers, Middlesex-London’s top doctor, has said the mask requirement for health unit staff will remain in place through April and be re-evaluated later in the spring.
Western University has opted to keep its face mask policy in place for staff and students beyond March 21.
With significant COVID-19 transmission still occurring in the London area, Summers is encouraging people to continue masking up in indoor public spaces through the spring.
The health unit reported 60 new COVID cases and no additional deaths Thursday. The daily case count only captures a fraction of COVID activity in the community because lab-based testing is only available to select high-risk groups.
The number of COVID patients at London Health Sciences Center is hovering at levels not seen since December, before the height of the Omicron wave.
LHSC reported 27 COVID patients Thursday, including five or fewer in intensive care. Of the 27, 15 are in hospital for other reasons but have tested positive for the virus.