COVID-19 public health restrictions being lifted in Canada
March 10, 2022, 8:49 am

COVID-19 public health restrictions being lifted in Canada

COVID-19-restrictions/Shutterstock

The Xinhua reported, COVID-19 public health restrictions, including mask mandates, will continue being lifted across Canada in the coming weeks as Ontario's chief medical officer of health confirmed Wednesday the province will drop its mask mandate on March 21.

Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario, the province with the largest population in Canada, said in a statement that the government will remove the mandatory masking requirement for most settings on that day, with the exception of select settings such as public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and congregate care settings.

"With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been able to cautiously and gradually move through its reopening milestones," he said. "While this does not signal that COVID-19 has disappeared or that the pandemic is over, it does mean that we have come to a place where we know what we need to do to manage this virus and to keep each other safe."

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said Friday that federal agencies overseeing masking mandates in Canada for things like domestic travel were evaluating the situation and could make policy adjustments as needed in the coming days and weeks.

COVID-19 public health restrictions are also being lifted in other provinces. Alberta lifted almost all COVID-19 restrictions on March 1. Saskatchewan lifted mask mandate on March 1. Manitoba and Quebec will follow suit soon.

Canada's COVID-19 cases surpass 2 million

CTV updated Wednesday that Canada, with a population of 37 million, recorded its national COVID-19 caseload of 3,341,487 with 37,134 related deaths.

Source: xinhua

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.