Continuous masking no longer required in AHS facilities
By Lethbridge Herald on June 17, 2023.
LETHBRIDGE HERALD
Alberta Health Services has rescinded its continuous masking requirements effective Monday.
AHS made the announcement Thursday.
The health department said in a release that masking will no longer be required at all AHS facilities including continuous care and contracted sites.
“This applies to all patients, families, and visitors at AHS facilities, as well as Alberta Precision Laboratories, Covenant Health, CapitalCare, and Carewest sites. It also applies to all AHS and contracted staff, including physicians, midwives, students, volunteers, and contractors,” said the release.
AHS made the decision made on several factors including the declining number of COVID-19 cases, the testing positivity rate, hospital admission rates for respiratory illnesses in the province and wasterwater data.
Consultation was also done with various stakeholders such as patients, families, clinicians and frontline managers as well as advisory councils.
“AHS continues to respect the choice to voluntarily wear a mask in all areas and encourages those who want to wear a mask to continue to wear one. In addition, patients are encouraged to have conversations with their care providers regarding masking, hand hygiene, or other factors that patients feel are important to their care,” said the release.
AHS is encouraging visitors or designated family support persons who have had respiratory symptoms to wait 10 days after symptoms onset to visit their loved ones. Visitors and support people are still recommended to mask when visiting symptomatic patients or residents.
“Staff are required to continue to use the Infection Prevention and Control Risk Assessment to make personal protective equipment (PPE) decisions and AHS Routine Practices to prevent the spread of infections.
“Appropriate types of masks and PPE will continue to be available in all settings for patients and healthcare workers,” said the AHS, which is also encouraging all staff to stay home when they are ill and to practice good hand hygiene as part of ongoing efforts to keep patients and others healthy.”
“AHS is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment and will continue to closely monitor the need for changes to masking requirements,” said the release.
13-12
Is there a contingency plan if COVID rates rise again? There are still, over 300 folks in Alberta hospitals with COVID.
this is so premature – now we are all going to die, at least .01% of the world will. if our population falls below 8 billion because of this, and threatens our getting to 10 billion at light speed, well, there better be hell to pay. great for the environment those things were, too. how long before we see them billowing in the air whenever whales blow…will look so cute to the human youngin’s it will.
they should wait at least until the next century. only exception would be for halloweens, where they could be allowed to not wear masks so as it would be like they were wearing masks….
Again, an individual choice…some folks will still wear a mask in public indoor places, which is still recommended. I would not diss someone who would still wear a mask in these settings. And, of course, for those in hospital with COVID, the staff will continue to mask, goggle, gown and glove and use all of the infection control policies. Here is some info which could assist individual decisions:
http://www.alberta.ca/coronvirus-info-for-albertans.aspx