On Monday, the Ontario government removed the COVID-19 restrictions that made masks mandatory in public spaces.

Yesterday I donned a mask, as I have for the past two years. Having some sort of personal facial covering has simply become a habit. This is a habit I intend on keeping for a while.

Masks have been a controversial topic in this country for months, the biggest example being the trucker’s convoy and occupation of downtown Ottawa. Protestors found masks, among many others things, an affront to personal freedoms.

Now, I didn’t like the fact I had to wear a mask, but I do like the fact that a mask — along with three shots of vaccine, a copious amount of hand sanitizer, a lot of hand washing and physical distancing — has been good for me.

During this pandemic, I did not end up in a hospital on a ventilator. I’m still alive. I attribute this to a diligent focus on personal protection. The mask was, and will remain, a part of my protection plan.

I’m protecting myself, and everybody else.

I believe the mask restrictions were removed too early. This government should have, at least, waited until the end of the month after enough time had elapsed after all school breaks. There was a lot of travel by Ontario residents over the past weeks. How has this virus continued to spread?

I remain concerned about the ebb and flow of COVID-18 numbers, the advance of another potential strain of the virus, and the fluctuation of rates from day to day.

I am concerned bout public health. I’m not so sure the powers that be are thinking along the same lines. I believe the changes in the restrictions and the “loosening up” was driven by politics and not science. We have a provincial election in June and the present government is doing its best to present itself in favourable light.

We can only hope — more for public safety sake than for political posture — that the move to remove restrictions doesn’t backfire and we end up with an onslaught of cases and hospitalizations.

I’ll keep my mask on for a while and wait to see what happens.