Enhanced masking rules have come back to various Alberta hospitals. Alberta Health Services (AHS) told CityNews Calgary on Tuesday five hospitals in Edmonton and one in Red Deer are reintroducing masks.These hospitals follow Royal Alexandra Hospital, which became the first hospital in Alberta to bring back masking Friday. The six additional facilities are University of Alberta Hospital and the Stollery Children’s Hospital, Misericordia Community Hospital, Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Alberta Hospital Edmonton, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, and Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. Masking is required for hospital staff, physicians, volunteers and contract workers in hallways, staircases, elevators, common areas, cafeterias, continuing care areas and any location where patient contact is a possibility. It is optional in staff break rooms and meeting rooms. Patients, visitors, and designated support people are required to wear masks in the emergency departments and labour and delivery assessment areas. AHS reinstated a masking directive in healthcare facilities to stop the spread of COVID-19 on Wednesday. READ MORE: AHS brings back mask mandate in acute care centres“The Use of Masks to Prevent Transmission of COVID-19 Directive, which comes into effect today, is a tool that Zone Executive Leadership or Chief Program Officers and Site Leadership will use to make site and zone-specific enhanced masking decisions,” said AHS. “When implemented by the Site Leadership and Zone Executive Leadership (or the Chief Program Officer), the directive will require all AHS staff, workers at Precision Laboratories, Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care Centre, as well as all physicians, midwives, students, volunteers and contracted service providers to mask in an acute care facility.”
