Masks required in Niagara hospitals
Mandatory use of face coverings not reducing visitor restrictions
Niagara hospitals are stepping up efforts to protect patients, staff and visitors from the spread of COVID-19.
As of Wednesday, everyone who enters Niagara Health facilities is required to wear a mask at all times.
“We’re taking further precautions to protect the safety of our patients, and our staff and physicians,” said Linda Boich, Niagara Health executive vice-president of quality and community development, adding all hospital staff have been required to wear masks at all times for the past week.
“We’re asking all people coming to the emergency department, urgent care or coming for an outpatient visit, or if they’re a visitor in limited circumstances, we’re asking them to wear a mask at all times.”
Boich said people are asked to bring their own masks, but masks will be provided for people who don’t have one.
New masks will be provided to people if the mask they are wearing is soiled or damaged.
“That’s just good PPE (personal protective equipment) practice. If your mask is wet, damaged or soiled, you need to discard it and put on a new one,” she said.
Despite providing masks, Boich said the hospital system continues “to follow really strict stewardship and conservation principles” to preserve its supply of equipment.
“We are still working really hard to ensure we have PPE available for our health-care team,” she said.
“We are really grateful for the donations of fabric and cloth and non-medical grade masks we got from the community. We’re going to be making use of those masks for people who come to the hospital.”
Although fabric masks are not suitable protection for frontline hospital workers, they can safely be used by the general public.
“Everything that we do, we’re making sure we’re following the guidance that’s coming from provincial and federal subject matter experts.”
The use of masks will not permit hospitals to reduce visitor restrictions.
“Right now there is no change in our policy with respect to
visitors,” Boich said.
Although no visitors are permitted into hospitals, she said exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis for compassionate reasons.
“We know how difficult it can be for people, but it’s another necessary measure that we need to take to protect the health and well-being of our patients. It’s important to reduce the traffic in our hospitals, and it’s important to keep reinforcing the importance of physical distancing.”
Boich advised people to follow Ministry of Health guidelines for proper use of masks, ensuring they fit snugly over the nose and mouth without gaps. Cloth masks are constructed of at least two layers of tightly woven material that can be cleaned several times without losing shape. Medical grade masks, such as N95, are reserved for the front-line workers who need them.
Masks should not be placed on children under the age of two, or by anyone who has trouble breathing or who is unable to remove them without assistance.
Boich said there are “multiple benefits” to properly wearing masks, however, people must ensure they are regularly and thoroughly washing their hands as well.
“It’s really an added layer of protection. That’s really the important message,” she said. “We really want to signal to our community that we’re doing all we can to keep one another safe.”
Boich said the initiative is part of the broader community working together.
“We really appreciate the support of our community, working alongside us to do that.”