Health Notes

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath calls for masks in schools to protect children, teachers, and education workers

The B.C. NDP government, on the other hand, has steadfastly defended lifting a provincewide indoor mask mandate

by Charlie Smith on April 8th, 2022 at 9:41 AM
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      The Ontario New Democrats have a different approach to COVID-19 than their B.C. counterparts.

      On April 7, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath demanded the reinstatement of a mask policy in schools "to protect children, teachers, and education workers".

      She also asked the Doug Ford government to "reinstate masking in public places like malls, or explain why they won't".

      "Doug Ford dropped masks too soon," Horwath tweeted. "Now we're paying the price.

      "Ford can protect folks and keep hospitals from being overrun by updating masking, returning broad PCR testing and giving workers 10 paid sick days."

      The B.C. NDP government under John Horgan, on the other hand, has defended its decision to eliminate a provincewide mask mandate.

      And it's refused to budge even after Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender stated publicly that this has "profoundly unequal effects across society".

      "Given the benefits of the mask mandate for thousands of marginalized people and the minimal impact on those being asked to wear one, the balance at this time favours continuing the mask mandate," Govender declared in a March 16 letter to B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.

      In B.C., there's no requirement to wear masks on public transit. 

      In Ontario, on the other hand, Ford's government has continued with a mask mandate on transit.

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