Skip to main content

Expert predicts 'massive eighth wave' after Ont. lifts COVID isolation rules

Share

An infectious disease expert believes Ontario's decision to lift COVID-19 isolation rules will trigger a "massive eighth wave" as children head back to school next week.

Ontario announced Wednesday that its mandatory five-day isolation rule for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 will be scrapped. Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said that sick individuals should still isolate and return to work or school 24 hours after their symptoms end.

"I do not think this is a good move at all," Dr. Dick Zoutman, the former chief of staff of the Scarborough Health Network and a professor at Queen's University and the University of Toronto, told CTV News Channel on Wednesday. "We've seen a progressive winding down of proven public health interventions."

Zoutman urged people to continue to wear masks in indoor settings, warning that COVID-19 is a serious illness that "affects every organ in your body."

He also cautioned that people remain infectious "for at least ten days after your symptoms" and that wide spread of the virus could have profound implications on critical services like the health-care system and first responders.

"This policy is just closing our eyes and hoping it's all going to be OK."

Watch the full interview at the top of this article.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Local Spotlight

Stay Connected