The chief medical officers in Ontario rejected a request from local public health officials to mandate protective masks in schools, pharmacies, or other workplaces, saying it is not necessary at this time.

Earlier this month, local medical officers from Niagara, Windsor-Essex, and Peterborough asked Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore to reinstate mandatory masking in a variety of places including schools, stores, and workplaces to help protect the vulnerable, ease pressures on our hospitals, and most importantly protect the health of the people we serve,” said doctors Thomas Piggott (Peterborough), Mustafa Hirji (Niagara), and Shanker Nesathurai (Windsor-Essex).

In his response dated May 6 and released Thursday by the Ministry of Health after an inquiry by CP24, Moore said their request is not necessary.

"As I have throughout the pandemic, I will continue to monitor the data and the COVID-19 situation across the province to assess the need for any changes to provincial public health orders or other measures."

Ontario’s public health agency said last month that the decision to end mandatory mask-wearing in those places on March 21 was “temporarily linked” to the start of the sixth wave in Ontario.

The removal of mask mandates led to a significant increase in virus transmission in the province’s public schools, with absenteeism among staff and students rising by nearly 40 percent between the end of March and early April.

Many school boards tried to pass individual mask mandates on their own but were unsuccessful. Others, like the Toronto District School Board, had to revert to nearly daily notifications to parents about new cases in schools.

Masks remain required in all Ontario hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and public transit vehicles at least until June 11.

The Washington State Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated that mask usage in Ontario dropped from 71 percent to 42 percent. On Thursday as well, Moore told the Canadian press that the province was in a “quiet summer” with COVID-19, though he remains concerned about new Omicron variants spreading elsewhere in the world.