Several hospitals tighten mask rules

Several eastern Ontario hospitals have tightened their masking rules as flu season approaches and COVID-19 indicatorsgradually rise.

At The Ottawa Hospital, maskswill be required in waiting rooms and clinical areas such as patient rooms and nursing stations on Monday, Sept. 11.

The new rules will be in place for "the duration of the respiratory virus season," it added in a news release. Masking will remain "encouraged but optional" in non-clinical settings.

The move comes on the heels of a similar decision at the Queensway Carleton Hospital (QCH), which reintroduced mandatory masking in all clinical and waiting areason Aug. 28.

"Masks are recommended but not required in public areas outside of clinical areas, such as hallways, elevators, cafeterias, and coffee shops," QCH said in an announcement posted on its website.

In a French-language statement to Radio-Canada, CHEO, eastern Ontario's children's hospital, said masking is currently mandatory on all units where clinical care is provided.

Masking remains mandatory in the Montfort Hospital's ER, according to the hospital'smost recent news release in early August.

• COVID-19's slow late-summer swell continues

At the Kingston Health Sciences Centre, the rules have also changed, with masks now requiredin the emergency department, the urgent care centre and the children's outpatient clinic.

Local COVID-19 test positivity rates have risen into the double digits after being as low as three per cent earlier this summer, the hospital said in a Thursday news release.

"Further control measures will be re-introduced should local COVID-19 markers continue to rise in Kingston,"the statement said."Escalating control measures continues to be part of KHSC's respiratory response plan."

Other eastern Ontario hospitals haven't sent out news releases about recent masking rule changes. Quebec lifted all COVID masking directives in July, leaving it up to each facility to decide.

Rules loosened in late spring

Many of the region's hospitals loosened theirrules in late spring and summer, allowing visitors to go maskless in settings whereno direct patient care was being provided.

While COVID-19 transmission rates were lower at the time, somecriticized thepolicy shift, particularly out of concern for vulnerable hospital patients.

• The Ottawa Hospital lifts most mask requirements, but some say it's too soon

The latest pandemic updates from Ottawa Public Health (OPH) showkey COVID indicators are generally stable or rising at moderate to high levels.

OPH has warned that the city's health-care institutions arecurrently at ahigh risk from respiratory illnesses, just as they would normally be in the depths of winter.

• Get the news you need without restrictions. Download ourfree CBC News App.