B.C. renews mask requirements for health-care facilities

The provincial health ministry says masks will once again be required in health-care facilities in B.C. after the provincial health officer rescinded the remaining order for COVID-19 in July.

Starting Monday, Jan. 6, the ministry says it’s strengthening infection control measures during the respiratory illness season.

“Temporary measures like these have been regularly used in health-care settings both pre- and post-pandemic, including last year. In conjunction with existing infection control practices, they will help curb the spread of respiratory illness this season and keep patients, residents and health-care workers safe,” the province said in a statement to 1130 NewsRadio.

Officially, all health-care workers, volunteers, contractors, patients and visitors must wear medical masks in areas where patients are actively receiving care, but the ministry says the requirements do not apply to patients in all areas.

The new requirements include:

• Patients must wear a medical mask and other PPE when directed by a health-care worker during provision of direct patient care, if medically tolerated.
• Patients and people accompanying them must wear a medical mask over their nose and mouth in all emergency departments and waiting rooms.
• Visitors to long-term care and seniors’ assisted living settings should wear a medical mask when participating in indoor group events, celebrations, gatherings and activities, except when eating and/or drinking.
• Visitors do not need to wear a mask when they are visiting a single resident in a patient-care area, in multi-bed rooms or in communal areas when visiting directly with one individual resident.

Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre, say re-introducing mask requirements makes sense to him.

“I think in we’re seeing an increase in the number of cases of influenza in the community and other respiratory viruses. They are more easily transmitted in hospital centers, where lots of sick people are around other sick people, and health-care providers could potentially become infected and transmit them along to to other to other people, to patients,” said Conway.

He says B.C. has already observed a slight increase in RSV among children in a pediatric care settings, and the province is about to reach “peak of transmission.”

“We learned during the [COVID-19] pandemic that masks help. They help after the pandemic. So I think that we really need to go ahead and do this,” said Conway, adding that an insufficient 1.3 million British Columbians had so far received the influenza vaccination this season.

“That accounts for about a quarter of the population, and we need to do better to help reduce transmission of influenza and other viruses. So I encourage everyone to go out and get vaccinated, if they haven’t already done so.”

The mask requirements will reportedly be in effect until the risk decreases, which the ministry expects by spring this year.

“Public health experts will continue to monitor risk levels throughout the respiratory illness season,” the ministry said.

—With files from Srushti Gangdev.