By Prapti Bamaniya
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) suspended its face mask policy starting June 1, according to a statement published on Friday.
All community members are still encouraged to wear face masks while indoors, maintain physical distancing wherever feasible, stay at home when feeling ill and practice good hand and respiratory hygiene, according to the statement.
Face coverings will still be required to access healthcare services on campus, such as the Medical Centre and the Centre for Student Develop.
The university’s decision comes after the cancellation of Ontario’s masking policy.
“With continued improvement in trends, Ontario will remove the mandatory masking requirement for most settings on March 21, with the exception of select settings,” said Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, in a March 9 statement.
TMU’s announcement also referenced Toronto Public Health’s COVID-19 guidelines for post-secondary schools, which state that, “post-secondary institutions may choose to develop their own policies on mask use on campus.”
While the policy is suspended for now, TMU said it may reinstate masking requirements in the future depending on public health indicators. “The university continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 in the city and province, and will be nimble in responding to changes and in planning for the future,” the statement read.
TMU planned to suspend the policy early this May but halted its plans after a surge in COVID-19 cases in Toronto.
On Sunday, Ontario reported 643 COVID-19 hospitalizations—the lowest number since late March—according to Ontario’s COVID-19 portal.
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