Sudbury's Health Sciences North is dropping mandatory masking in some parts of the HSN building for visitors, patients and health-care workers, following the lead of many hospitals across Ontario.
The change to the hospital’s COVID-19 masking policy came into effect today, Monday, May 15. Details were outlined in a memo from HSN senior vice president Mark Hartman.
For visitors to the hospital, masking is no longer required in most public spaces, and no longer required in outpatient areas, including waiting rooms and treatment rooms.
Masking is not required in hospital administrative places or shared office spaces, nor is it required in "staff only" areas and meeting spaces. Staff will no longer be required to mask in HSN public spaces.
Masking however, will still be required for visitors in high risk areas, which includes patient rooms, the NECC (North East Cancer Centre) North Tower fourth floor, Intensive Care Unit, emergency department, and the nephrology department.
These high-risk areas also apply to hospital health-care workers and for patients who are required to wear a mask when they leave their rooms in high-risk areas.
Staff will also be required to continue masking at all times in inpatient units as well as whenever health-care workers are providing direct patient care in outpatient units.
Masking became the norm at HSN and other Ontario hospitals back in 2020 when the COVID-19 outbreak was reaching pandemic levels.
The trend continued as the number of COVID cases began to rise.
During the 2020 Christmas holiday season, a hospital staff member was infected with the virus. It prompted HSN to tighten up with self-isolation rules and state that the strict masking policy would continue indefinitely.
Visitors are also being advised that in order to protect patients, masking will continue to be required for visitors in all inpatient areas and patient rooms. Further, visitors cannot bring food or drinks with them into patient areas.
Other COVID precautions will continue at the hospital.
"When entering the hospital, health-care workers, patients and visitors need to wash their hands, self-screen for symptoms and take a mask with them as they travel through the hospital," said a hospital advisory.
The action by HSN follows a similar action taken by Public Health Sudbury and Districts almost a month ago when it declared the COVID-19 risk level index to be set as “inactive” because of the decline in COVID infections.
Further to the latest action at the hospital, HSN said any patients with COVID-19 symptoms will still need to put on a mask and proceed to registration. Any visitors with COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to not enter the hospital at all, said the advisory.
Hospital staff members were also provided with an updated memo on procedures to follow if or when a staff member discovers he or she has any COVID-19 symptoms.
This would require them to take Rapid Access Testing and follow up PCR testing along with periods of self isolation before returning to work at the hospital.
These conditions would apply to all HSN Staff, credentialed medical staff, contractors, volunteers, students, medical learners, and locums, said the memo.
Len Gillis writes about health issues and also the mining industry for Sudbury.com.
