Public health mandates could return, Tam warns, but favours lighter touch in future

OTTAWA — Canada’s chief public health officer says governments should be prepared to bring back public health measures in case of another serious variant of COVID-19.

Several provinces have begun to scale back on mandates for vaccines and masks, signalling a return to normalcy now that the Omicron wave is waning. 

Dr. Theresa Tam says she hopes Canada is past the pandemic crisis and is now in a transition phase, headed toward recovery.

She says Canada must still be ready to bring some public health measures back if cases begin to shoot up again.