Province imposes mask mandate for health-care staff contacts with patients

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This article was published 16/10/2023 (711 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province has ordered health-care staff working with patients to wear medical masks for the first time in months as outbreaks of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses hit hospital wards and personal-care homes.

Manitoba Health and Shared Health issued a statement Monday saying they’ve imposed the measure to protect the most-vulnerable populations.

Beginning Wednesday, medical-grade masks will be worn by staff “during direct interactions with patients.”

A Shared Health spokesman said Manitoba is guided by “evidence and leading practice” for respiratory viruses.

“Clinical leaders have completed a jurisdictional scan and made this recommendation to reduce the spread and impact of respiratory illness on our most vulnerable patients, residents and clients,” the spokesman said.

“The reintroduction of masking for staff providing direct care is motivated by a continued return to pre-pandemic practices and a need to maintain staffing levels during the respiratory virus season. The risk of transmission (and/or) spread to vulnerable populations within health-care facilities and environments is mitigated in part by the reintroduction of universal masking for staff during the delivery of direct care.”

Currently, there are outbreaks of COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, or both, in 25 personal-care homes, as well as in wards in the St. Boniface, Concordia and Victoria hospitals and Riverview and Misericordia health centres.

Last week, the provincial respiratory surveillance report said testing found 165 cases of COVID-19, for a weekly positivity rate of 19.7 per cent. There were 40 people admitted to hospital last week, two into intensive care and two Manitobans died.

Flu cases are still considered to be low, with two reported cases of Influenza A and one case of Influenza B last week, for a total of 19 cases of Influenza A and 10 cases of Influenza B since July 2.

Masks will be used by staff in all health-care facilities, personal-care homes and home-care services operated by the province’s regional health authorities.

Mask requirements at health-care facilities were lifted May 10.

Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson said she’s not surprised by the announcement, “especially given the fact that RSV and flu season now also includes COVID.”

“This extra layer of patient care protection is meant to enhance the overall health and safety of our facilities where vulnerable people, and our MNU members, coexist,” she said.

Sherry Heppner, development co-ordinator at The Convalescent Home of Winnipeg, said some staff were back to wearing masks while working with residents before Monday’s announcement.

“We are sad that we do have to return to the mask mandate, but we were aware that B.C. had implemented the same protocol a week or more ago and suspected that we would be following suit,” Heppner said.

“We do want to keep our residents safe.”

Thomas, provincial director of the Manitoba Health Coalition, said the province is taking a “prudent step.

“It is a welcome measure,” Linner said. “With a new government, we hope that public health officials will now feel more free to make decisions and recommendations on the basis of what the evidence shows is necessary to protect Manitobans.”

The Shared Health spokesman said masks will be optional but “strongly encouraged” for visitors in most areas, but will be mandatory in areas where people who are immunocompromised are getting care, including cancer units and within the transplant program.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca