15 | This Week | Thursday,March 3,2022 durham region.com You know the feeling. That sense of pride when finishing a great class. At V!VA Retirement Communities, our simple goal is to help you feel more of that every day. We take care of the chores like cooking and cleaning, and you focus on the things that make you smile. To learn more, call your local V!VA Retirement Community or email pickering@vivalife.ca or whitbyshores@vivalife.ca. V!VAfit Live with an Instructor MONDAY - THURSDAY, 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Get into shape with V!VA! Join us online for a live-streamed V!VAfit class throughout the month. Please call or email to receive your Zoom link. Now Available ANYTIM E DINING V!VA Pickering | (905) 831-2088 | 1880 Glengrove Road V!VA Whitby Shores | (905) 431-7410 | 51 Whitby Shores Greenway vivalife.ca Put a littlemore yeah in your day. *Conditions apply. Public Health permitting. ARE YOU OR A LOVED ONE STRUGGLING TO HEAR CONVERSATIONS? We have openings for 10 people to try the NEWEST hearing aid technology for a 2 week FREE trial *The number of new devices is limited. ➡ CALL TODAY Batteries $1/4 cells www.hearrightcanada.ca 1 Warren Ave U#C7 OSHAWA 905-721-2494 \ 701 Rossland Rd U#15C WHITBY 905-493-3133 As the Omicron wave of the pandemic wanes, parents in Durham are questioning when school mask mandates will be lifted. The issue was raised during public question period at the Durham District School Board's (DDSB) Feb. 22 meeting. Director of Education Norah Marsh noted the mask mandate for students in Grades 1 to 12 comes from the province -- school board officials and trustees don't have the option of scrapping it. "We are directed and have to implement that," she said. School boards do have flexibility on masking for kindergarten -- DDSB trustees voted Jan. 5 to make masks mandatory for kindergarten students and the Durham Catholic District School Board did the same on Jan. 13. "We know that recently there's been some announcements in terms of easing of restrictions from the government of Ontario, but it's pretty consistent in terms of the messaging that we've received that masking will remain in place for now," says Jim Markovski, associate director at the DDSB. He said the board will "shift our protocols accordingly" if the province makes a change. Comments from Ontario's top doctor suggest that could happen in the spring. "We'll be reviewing masking in public on the second or third week of March and make decisions for all public spaces, including schools in that time frame," said chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore on Feb. 17. "If and when we transition, it would be from ... a mandate to mask, to a recommendation to mask." - With files from Torstar News Service. WHEN WILL MASK MANDATES IN DURHAM SCHOOLS END? IT COULD BE AS EARLY AS THIS SPRING JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com NEWS DECISION FROM PROVINCE COULD COME IN MID TO LATE MARCH