COVID-19 Update - Patient and Staff Masking
On June 11, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health lifted provincial mask mandates for most settings and has now released separate guidelines for health care settings, including dental practices.
The Ministry guidance is available online (MOH Guidance) and it relies on Public Health Ontario’s Interim IPAC Recommendations for Use of Personal Protective Equipment for Care of Individuals with Suspect or Confirmed COVID 19. Dentists should note that the guidelines continue to recommend masking for all healthcare workers and staff. Masking is also recommended for patients with COVID-19 or suspected of having COVID-19, at the point of care.
The RCDSO is in the process of reviewing these documents. We will revise our COVID-19 guidance and will release a new version shortly.
In the meantime, dentists must continue to follow the College's existing COVID-19 guidance, which includes patient and staff masking, COVID-19:Managing infection risks during in-person dental care and refer to our COVID-19 FAQs for further clarification.