Mandatory Masking Reinstated for Some New Brunswick Hospitals

New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network has introduced mandatory masking in patient-facing clinical areas, including emergency rooms, due to an increase in respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19.

The regional health authority said all health-care workers, patients, social visitors, and designated support persons (DSPs) will be required to wear “medical grade” face masks in all patient-facing and clinical areas of its facilities.

Horizon oversees 12 hospitals, and more than 100 medical facilities, clinics, and offices throughout the province.

Horizon spokesperson Merita MacMillan told The Epoch Times the decision had been made based on an increase in COVID-19 infections.

“We can confirm that there are COVID-19 outbreak units in chronic care at Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital (TMH), transitional care at Saint John Regional Hospital (SJRH) and a surgical unit at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH) (Fredericton),” MacMillan said in a Sept. 3 statement.

MacMillan added that the risk of respiratory virus transmission “typically begins to increase this time of year,” and that they were
taking early measures to “protect our most vulnerable patients, as well as our physicians and staff.”

The policy requires that medical-grade face masks be worn at all times in all inpatient units, outpatient and ambulatory care clinics, emergency departments, and other clinical settings including waiting areas. Masking will not be required in non-clinical areas like lobbies, hallways, or cafeterias.

Masks will be made available at all Horizon facilities, the release said. Signage will also be posted to make it clear where masks are required.

Horizon also has other measures in place to prevent the spread of illness, such as self-screening for symptoms by patients, visitors, and DSPs, the health authority said. Support persons and visitors that have shown symptoms of a respiratory infection in the last 10 days will not be permitted to enter any of its facilities.

Symptomatic patients can attend appointments but must wash their hands, put on a mask, and let their health-care team know they have not passed self-screening.

The policy also requires the “continuous use of medical grade face masks” for health-care workers and DSPs on “outbreak units.” Health-care workers, DSPs, and patients who leave their rooms must wear a mask at all times on outbreak units.

Visitors will not be permitted to see patients if a unit is experiencing a respiratory outbreak, the health authority said.

The Epoch Times contacted Horizon Health for comment about the policy and the illnesses of concern but did not hear back by publication time.

There has been one reported case of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) between June 29 and July 26, the New Brunswick government said in a recent report on respiratory virus cases in the province. No hospitalizations or deaths were linked to RSV during that timeframe, and no lab-confirmed outbreaks were declared. There were also no cases or lab-reported outbreaks of influenza.

The report also noted 26 cases of COVID-19 had been recorded during the same period. No hospitalizations or deaths were reported, and there was one lab-confirmed outbreak at a nursing home, according to the provincial government.