MGB raises masking requirement as Covid increases (News)

Mass General Brigham, the state’s largest health system, is reinstating masking requirements as Covid-19 cases in Massachusetts continue to increase.

Starting on Jan. 2, healthcare employees will wear facility-issued masks while interacting with patients in clinical care locations, according to an email sent out to employees. This includes while they enter patient rooms or bays.

Additionally, MGB said patients and visitors will be „strongly encouraged“ to mask while directly interacting with healthcare personnel.

Most hospitals in Massachusetts dropped mask requirements last summer as the Covid-era state of emergency came to an end, despite opposition from groups like the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity. That same group urged hospitals to reinstate universal masking before the holiday season.

Some health systems, including Cambridge Health Alliance, brought back mask mandates and policies early this fall. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reinstated a mask mandate earlier in December, and said it would keep the new mandate in place for the foreseeable future.

There were 5,441 confirmed or probable cases of Covid in Massachusetts during the week of Dec. 10, the latest period for which data is available. That’s the highest weekly count since January 2023, according to the state’s Covid-19 dashboard.

During the same week in December 2022, there were 10,572 confirmed or probable cases. However, many cases go unreported.

MGB did not specify how long the updated mask policy would be in place.

Quelle: archive.ph