Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Português
日本語
한국어
Русский
COVID cases are on the rise, and some states are considering mask mandates again
Aug 26, 2023Is masking coming back? As new COVID variants emerge, here's what experts say.
Aug 28, 2023U.S. Steelmakers Are Still Expanding as Demand Slows
Aug 13, 2023Stainless Steel Wine Cabinet Market 2023: Growth Analysis, Key Features, Services, Regional Demand and Top Players Overview till 2029
Aug 08, 2023How a Harvard Professor Became the World’s Leading Alien Hunter
Jul 27, 2023UMass Memorial reinstates staff mask mandate after 'dramatic increase' in COVID cases
Aug 23, 2023By WBZ-News Staff
Updated on: August 25, 2023 / 5:13 PM / CBS Boston
WORCESTER - With COVID cases and hospitalizations climbing, UMass Memorial is bringing back a mask mandate for staff when interacting with patients.
"We have continued to see a dramatic increase in the number of COVID-19 positive employees over the past two weeks, which has led to exposures of both fellow caregivers and patients," a memo sent to staff on Thursday stated. "In response to this, as a protective measure for our staff and patients, effective immediately we are requiring mandatory caregiver masking for all patient encounters in all licensed clinical areas."
The Worcester hospital says that if the trend continues, it may need to require masks for anyone who enters the building. They will re-evaluate the mandate in four weeks, "unless worsening conditions dictate otherwise."
"Please know that these changes are not made lightly and we know how that a return to masking may be upsetting for some of our caregivers," the hospital said.
Nationwide, the CDC says new hospitalizations jumped 21.6% in the past week. The agency is also tracking a new, highly mutated COVID variant called BA.2.86 that experts think might fuel further spread.
The WBZ News team is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WBZ.com.
First published on August 25, 2023 / 1:56 PM
© 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.