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13 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,A pril 28,2022 insidehalton.com It may have been dropped in the U.S., but Canada's top doctor said it's not yet time to remove the mask mandate on planes in the country, given that the Om- icron subvariant is "still going strong." "I think it is prudent to contin- ue to require wearing a mask. It takes the guesswork out of the traveller... it's an additional layer of protection that can reduce transmission," Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's Chief Public Health Of- ficer, said during a public health briefing on April 22. However, she noted the policy requires ongoing evaluation, giv- en the epidemiological situation in Canada and overseas. Tam said there were early signs that transmission may have been nearing peak in some parts of the country prior to the Easter weekend. Despite the rise in hos- pitalizations in many jurisdic- tions, they appear to be manage- able -- with critical care still trending at low levels, she said. In Halton, there were more people with COVID-19 in hospi- tals than the previous week. As of April 22, there were nine people being treated in Joseph Brant Hospital in Burlington. There were also 17 patients in Milton hospital, eight in Oakville, and three in Georgetown. Three more deaths were also reported, bringing the death toll to 352. WEEKLY ROUNDUP: TRAVEL MASK MANDATE STILL IN EFFECT BAMBANG SADEWO bsadewo@metroland.com NEWS SCAN THIS CODE to view COVID cases tracker.