Montfort, The Royal and Queensway Carleton Hospital are taking one more step in the gradual and safe removal of some COVID-19 precautions.
What is not changing:
Staff will continue to wear masks at all times when engaged in patient care.
If you are coming to The Royal as a visitor, you will also be required to wear a mask when visiting inpatient units. Masks also remain mandatory for newly admitted inpatients, inpatients returning from outings in the community, and outpatients in group settings.
What is changing:
Effective today, masks are recommended but they are no longer required in public areas and non-clinical areas such as hallways, elevators, cafeterias and coffee shops. This applies to staff, patients and visitors. This is a low-risk step that provides people with more flexibility and helps us recover as a community.
More information:
Please consult hospital websites and signage to confirm the exact guidelines at each facility.
This decision was not made lightly, given the importance we place on protecting our staff and our patients, particularly those whose medical conditions leave them more vulnerable to infection. The decision comes after having monitored various indicators to help determine the right timing for changes to be made:
- The wastewater markers have stabilized.
- The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has decreased and there have been very few ICU admission for many weeks.
- The number of COVID-19 outbreaks in our area has also declined.
With all this information, we are now prepared to take this next step for mask use. We will actively monitor hospital and other public health indicators, and make further adjustments as appropriate.
For some, masking still makes sense for medical reasons and to protect loved ones. We recommend masks when they come into higher risk areas, like hospitals. We will support them in their choices, and provide safe, quality care.
Reminder: We ask staff and visitors to stay home if they experience symptoms.