Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) is updating its masking guidelines ahead of the fall respiratory season in anticipation of increased spread of influenza, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and COVID-19.
Effective Tuesday, September 12, RVH will return to mandatory masks in ALL clinical treatment areas including:
- Patient rooms
- Waiting rooms in the Cancer Centre, Dialysis Clinic and Emergency Department
- When care is being provided in ambulatory or inpatient settings
Masks will remain optional, but recommended, in areas such as hallways, administrative spaces, meeting rooms and public areas like the cafeteria.
All visitors should continue to self-screen upon arriving at RVH. If they have any symptoms or are unwell, they should stay home and return to the health centre once they are well.
Patients requiring care, and who are unwell, should inform their care team upon arrival.
“RVH’s goal is to always maintain safety for patients, families and members of TEAM RVH. That is our top priority,” says Gail Hunt, RVH President and CEO. “As we enter a season when respiratory illnesses typically increase among the population, RVH’s Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC), Workplace Safety and Occupational Health and Wellness teams have been working diligently to assess our mask-wearing protocol to keep everyone safe, while at the same time allow us to maintain some flexibility within the health centre. We will carefully monitor the situation over the coming weeks and adjust our policy as needed.”
RVH will keep the community informed of any masking changes via updates on the homepage of the health centre’s website – www.rvh.on.ca