What you need to know about COVID-19 in Ottawa for the week of March 21 – CBC
Key updates on COVID-19 in the region
Mar 21, 2022
Ontario lifted its mask mandate this week for restaurants, stores, schools and many other indoor settings, saying the health-care system and pandemic trends are in better shape, the vaccination rate is good and anti-viral treatments for COVID are available.
It’s despite some experts wanting more time and warning about the more transmissible subvariant.
Officials still recommend masks in some places. Some communities have targeted mandates.
Some local businesses say the onus of keeping others safe now falls to them and immunocompromised families are trying to balance safety with social needs.
What are the numbers to watch?
Testing strategies have changed under the contagious Omicron variant, meaning many people with COVID-19 aren’t reflected in the case count.
Hospitalizations and wastewater monitoring can help fill in some of the grey areas. There’s more information in our daily story on key numbers.
