It's too early for Canadians to give up their masks
The number of cases of covid infections is declining and provinces are loosening the rules on wearing protective masks. But experts think such a decision is premature.
Canada continues to be one of the world's leaders in population vaccination. But even as the number of COVID-19 infections in the country has steadily declined, experts disagree on whether now is really the right time to relax the requirement to wear masks in public places.
Last year, as the pandemic turned life upside down and our world was suddenly divided by plexiglass, physical distancing and protective masks, many had no hope that by the summer of 2021 the situation in Canada would have improved enough to even spark a debate about mandatory mask-wearing.
However, some provinces have already eliminated mask mandates, as well as relaxed a host of other quarantine measures. For example, Alberta, and British Columbia have introduced relaxations on Canada Day. The province of Saskatchewan is not far behind: all quarantine measures, including the use of masks, are also scheduled to be significantly relaxed there on July 11.
However, according to medical experts, due to the high likelihood of infection with the new strain of coronavirus, Delta, removing restrictions is premature.
It's worth considering...
According to professor and viral disease researcher Caroline Colin, there is no set number of vaccinations that would tell you exactly when masks are no longer needed. Before quarantine restrictions can be lifted, she says, several factors must be taken into account: the likelihood of infection with the Delta strain and other varieties of coronavirus, and the percentage of the vaccinated population:
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