Ontario Premier Doug Ford advised citizens to "wear a mask whenever possible" a day before the province's Chief Medical Officer recommended wearing masks on Monday.

"Wear a mask every time, number one. Then secondly, get the vaccination, get the flu vaccine," Ford said at a press conference on Sunday when he announced an extension of the regional gas tax cut.

The Premier also said that the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, would issue a statement on Monday alongside Ontario's Deputy Minister of Health Dr. Catherine Zahn, Dr. Chris Simpson, and Matt Anderson from Ontario Health. A regional statement released on Sunday stated that Moore would provide an update at 9 a.m. the following day.

Additionally, two sources told Canadian Press that Moore is expected to make a general recommendation for mask-wearing, especially in crowded areas. However, a province-wide mask mandate is not expected to be announced.

The news about mask-wearing recommendations comes as children's hospitals across the province are experiencing an "unprecedented" number of patients amid a surge in respiratory illnesses.