The logo of the Hanover and District Hopsital.
The Hanover and District Hospital (HDH) is joining other regional facilities in lifting its masking requirements for certain areas of the hospital.
HDH says in a release, it will be taking a measured approached to lifting the current masking policy effective immediately. All symptomatic patients, however, must be masked upon entry of the hospital and no visitors who are symptomatic will be permitted.
Additionally, masks will be required for patient and health care worker interactions and at the patient’s bedside in the Emergency Department and waiting room, inpatient unit, dialysis, outpatient clinics, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging.
Masks will be optional, but recommended in areas like hallways, the cafeteria, meeting rooms, administrative offices, the gift shop, and most waiting rooms.
HDH says this comes following the release of Public Health Ontario’s new Interim Guidance on Infection Prevention and Control Measures released April 4. It came with recommendations for updates to universal masking based on the current Covid transmission risk.
“Hospitals across Southwestern Ontario collaborated to adopt this guidance with advice from local infectious diseases and epidemiology experts, considering the unique needs of each health care setting/organization,” says HDH.
The hospital says with these changes to the masking policy, the front entrance has now been opened up and can be accessed.
This announcement comes following the Grey Bruce Health Service’s and South Bruce Grey Health Centre’s recent similar announcements.