The Guelph General Hospital is introducing a new masking policy.
They are calling it a mask-friendly approach that will be phased in starting on Monday around the same time hospitals across southern Ontario are lifting their mask mandates.
In the first phase, staff, patients, families, caregivers, and volunteers will no longer be required to wear a mask in non-clinical areas like hallways, offices, and the Bistro. Masks will continue to be required in clinical areas such as in-patient rooms and nursing stations.
The hospital says that if all goes well, it will implement the second phase which sees people in clinical areas not be required to wear a mask.
They say there will be unique situations where masks will be required in the hospital, such as a patient in isolation.
The hospital goes on to say that patients can request staff to wear a mask when interacting with them.
It says some may be apprehensive with the hospital’s new mask-friendly approach and it will continue to have masking stations at the entrances to our facilities as well as at nursing stations for anyone that prefers to wear one.