Masking requirements dropped from some hospitals
When the World Health Organization, or WHO, declared an end to the global emergency status for COVID-19 on Friday, a number of Butler County-based health care facilities had already dropped their mask mandates.
Allegheny Health Network, UPMC hospitals and VA Butler Healthcare have all announced an end to mandatory mask wearing in their facilities, while Butler Health System has not changed its mask policy.
“Our current policies require staff to mask with all patient interactions and recommends masking by patients and visitors,” Dr. John Love, medical director, BHS infectious disease, said Friday. “Any staff, patient, or visitor exhibiting any respiratory symptoms must wear a mask at all times.”
This policy applies to Butler Memorial Hospital, Clarion Hospital, Frick Hospital, Latrobe Hospital, Westmoreland Hospital, and all associated outpatient sites.
“Our infection control teams constantly review all available data in order to make decisions as information evolves,” Love said.
Paul Hanlon, senior director of quality, patient safety and compliance for UPMC Passavant, said the decision to discontinue facial coverings in a majority of areas in the health system’s facilities was based on the “prevalence of COVID-19 in the community” and “a data perspective, as far as the changing state of the pandemic itself.”
