Sudbury's medical officer of health, Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, is calling on the education community, daycare operators, office workers and the business community to start using face masks again.
In a public letter released Wednesday by Public Health Sudbury and Districts (PHSD), Sutcliffe strongly recommends "masking in all indoor public settings" and to get back to basics during a difficult fall respiratory illness season.
"In alignment with Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, I am writing to reinforce the strong recommendation to mask in all indoor public settings, including in schools and in childcare settings," Sutcliffe wrote.
This follows Moore's Queen's Park news conference held on Monday where he said Ontario residents need to return to masking to protect vulnerable citizens, especially the very young and the elderly, from the threat of several respiratory diseases that are currently infecting thousands of residents crowding into hospital emergency rooms.
"Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and COVID-19 are currently circulating across the province. The combined presence of these respiratory viruses is impacting children in particular and placing additional pressures on our already stressed health care system and health professionals. Locally, we are observing an increase in hospital emergency department visits among children with respiratory symptoms and influenza-like-illness," Sutcliffe said in the letter.
"This is not an insignificant rise," she added.
Sutcliffe said the current number of emergency room visits for those under the age of 18 is two to three times higher than the norm for this time of year.
"It is important to act now to prevent a worsening situation," Sutcliffe said.
The letter also calls on Sudbury residents to stay up to date with vaccines, especially for influenza and COVID-19.
Sutcliffe also suggested that residents should stay home and keep away from others if you are sick. She further recommended that residents practice the usual pandemic precautions involving good hand hygiene and regularly clean surfaces, which is especially important for RSV and flu viruses.
