With some European leaders mandating medical face masks in indoor places earlier this week, that got us thinking, if we could be seeing the same decision here at home.
The UK variant of COVID-19 is believed to be far more contagious than the virus that's prominently circulating through our communities, which is why European officials took that medical mask step.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa said today, that a decision hasn't been made locally, but federal and provincial health officials are likely discussing next steps.
"There is this constant learning that is ongoing with respect to COVID-19," de Villa said. "When we look at what is happening in other jurisdictions, that certainly forms part of our knowledge base… when it comes to that kind of scientific information… we do rely quite heavily on our partners at the federal level and at the provincial level."
She says she's sure this is the kind of thing those officials are actively looking at.
"We'll expect that there will be ongoing discussions and regular evaluation as to what is the best form of protection for the general public given our circumstances with COVID-19 and our current understanding of new variants and their presence in the community."
But de Villa says she can't emphasize enough that the first line of defence against any variant of the virus is distancing, hand-washing, and staying home unless essential.