COVID-19 face mask requirement ends Thursday: What is Worcester doing?
WORCESTER – COVID-19 infections and deaths have dropped dramatically, and that is why Dr. Robert Klugman supports the decision to end a requirement that all health care workers wear a face mask to protect themselves and others from the virus.
Klugman is an internal medical physician at UMass Memorial Health, and his view comes after this week's internal memo to all medical providers within UMass Memorial Health that stated masks are optional and encouraged, but not mandatory for most departments.
The new policy starts Thursday when the federal government is expected to announce an end to the COVID-19 public health emergency that included mandatory masking in all health care settings.
Also Thursday, the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services is expected to end the masking requirement in Massachusetts that’s been in place for three years.
“It's a very appropriate time to discontinue the mandate,” said Klugman, who at 71 plans to wear a mask whenever he’s in areas where patients are treated.
The particulars of this week’s memo from Dr. Eric Dickson, president and chief executive officer at UMass Memorial Health, stated masking will remain a requirement during interactions with patients in several departments, including emergency, oncology, bone marrow and organ transplant.
In all other medical areas, masks are encouraged and optional. That goes for all staff, patients and visitors. In four weeks, the policy will be reviewed and could be changed depending on the level of COVID-19 activity.
COVID-19 still active
Despite the impending official end of the public health emergency, COVID-19 infections and deaths continue in Massachusetts and Worcester.
Statewide there were 897 new confirmed cases and 14 new confirmed deaths reported for the week that ended Wednesday, according to state health officials.
In Worcester County over the same period, there were 99 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and four deaths. UMass Memorial Health reported seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, including four in the intensive care unit. COVID infections among medical staff average one case daily, according to Klugman.
It’s a picture that’s been a challenge for UMass Memorial Health and all health care facilities since the pandemic started in March 2020.
“We’ve been through a lot together during the pandemic, and one of the requirements that I know saved lives was universal masking in health care settings," reads Dickson’s memo.
“However, now that we are coming out of the pandemic, it will be a welcomed moment to relax some of these requirements in certain areas, while respecting the personal preference of those who wish to continue to wear a mask.”
What are others doing?
St. Vincent Hospital's updated masking policy, which starts Thursday, includes three components: Visitors and patients without respiratory symptoms are not longer required to wear a mask; masks continue to be available for those who choose to wear one; and employee masking will follow clinical protocols.
Starting Thursday, mandatory masking will end at the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, which serves more than 30,000 patients in Worcester, Milford and Framingham. Mask wearing will remain optional for staff, visitors and patients, and the policy can be changed at any time, said a Kennedy Health spokeswoman.
Optional but “strongly encouraged” is the policy at Family Health Center on Queen Street. Patients with infectious respiratory systems will be required to wear a mask.
“We will continue to closely monitor COVID and other infectious disease rates to monitor the impact of this policy change and to identify outbreaks as soon as possible,” reads the policy.
Blip possible
COVID-19 variants are still out there, and Klugman said it’s possible we could see a blip in case numbers if a new variant appears. But he doesn’t expect any surges.
"Reasonable masking” is what Klugman expects to see among UMass Memorial medical staff when the new policy starts Thursday. Visitors are a different story, as Klugman anticipates a low number will wear a mask, based on the low level he’s seeing in the outside world.
More on Dickson's memo
Dickson’s memo encouraged all caregivers to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations. Only the first two primary shots are mandated at UMass Memorial, said Klugman, except for staff with a medical or religious exemption.
COVID-19 booster shots are encouraged but not required.
Within those parameters, Klugman said UMass Memorial experienced little COVID-19 transmission among staff and patients over the past three years.
“We had very few (COVID-19 infection clusters),” said Klugman. “Some were presumed, but none were proved. We didn’t see a trend pattern or evidence of an outbreak.”
Volume of air and time
As for the decision by the federal and Massachusetts governments to end the public health emergency that includes the masking requirement at health care facilities, Klugman said it comes down to what he called “volume of air and time.”
That means if you’re in a place where there’s a lot of space and not a lot of people, and you’re in that space for a short time, the risk of contracting COVID-19 is very low. But stay away from crowded places where there's a lot of air sharing, because the risk of catching COVID increases.
That volume of air and time principle, plus the falling rates of COVID infections and deaths, is the backbone of the decision to end the mask requirement, said Klugman.
“When there is a lot of air, and you’re not standing among people for a long time, you’re not getting the virus. It’s borne out in what we’re seeing," he said.
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: COVID-19 face mask requirement ends Thursday: What is Worcester doing?
