Re: Group says masking mandate has to go
To the editor,
On behalf of Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) I’d like to respond to the March 17 letter calling for the end of mandatory masking in schools.
I agree with the letter writers that school is important and I am pleased that schools are returning to a more normal learning environment. Ontario schools have been closed for a cumulative total of over 27 weeks since March 2020. HPPH’s position is that in-person learning is the ‘essential work’ of childhood and that schools must be the first to open and the last to close. I also agree that COVID-19 transmission has generally been lower in schools than in the community; importantly, this is in large part due to the effective public health measures (such as masking) that have been implemented in schools.
I disagree, however, with the conclusions reached by the original letter writers about the scientific evidence for masks. Firstly, the expectation for anything to be “proven 100 per cent safe and effective” is not consistent with the scientific method, which must remain open to new data that may foster new understanding. All research is subject to critical appraisal (the process of carefully and systematically assessing the outcome of research by examining method, limitations, internal validity, generalizability and relevance), and it remains important to consider the weight of the entire body of evidence when drawing conclusions. It is helpful to look for reviews by experts in the field and credible organizations; for public health matters, I recommend the Public Health Agency of Canada and Public Health Ontario.
In my review of the literature on face coverings, including the synthesis of evidence on mask-wearing in children by Public Health Ontario, I conclude that community masking is one safe and effective tool that, in many settings, including schools, will help minimize absences at a time of high COVID-19 transmission. Links to several studies and reviews on face coverings can be found on the HPPH website at www.hpph.ca/masks.
The pandemic has had many adverse impacts on families – directly through COVID illness and death, and indirectly through the unavoidable impacts of public health restrictions. As we transition towards more predictable COVID-19 disease activity, we are now in a position to live with and manage the virus due to widespread immunity against severe infection, through a combination of high vaccination rates and previous infections. Masking requirements were lifted in many settings, including schools, on March 21. However, should cases surge again, widespread masking is a safe, effective tool to help reduce virus spread.
COVID-19 remains a potentially serious illness for people who are at higher risk of severe outcomes. Those individuals now must take actions to protect themselves with fewer of the protective actions the community has made over the last two years. It will be important for all of us to have kindness and compassion for each other during this time.
Dr. Miriam Klassen
Medical Officer of Health and CEO
Huron Perth Public Health
