COVID mask mandates: Three Monmouth and Ocean County hospitals bring them back

Three hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties are among those that have begun to require employees and visitors wear masks after seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, officials said Wednesday, a reminder that the public health emergency is over, but the virus continues to be a threat.

Hackensack Meridian Health said it made the move at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, Ocean University Medical Center in Brick and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Stafford, where there has been an increase in cases at the facilities and in the community.

The Edison-based hospital network also mandated masks at Old Bridge Medical Center in Middlesex County and Carrier Clinic in Montgomery Township, Somerset County. And it is strongly encouraging employees and visitors to wear masks at its other hospitals.

"Inpatient admissions are slowly rising," said Dr. Edward Liu, infectious diseases section chief at Hackensack Meridian's Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, which is looking at the data but hasn't yet mandated masks. "There's new variants spinning off, and some people haven't gotten vaccinated in a while."

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Hackensack Meridian is one of New Jersey's biggest health care networks, with18 hospitals and 36,000 employees.

The hospitals' directives come as New Jersey reports its highest level of both COVID-19 cases and deaths since March. Some 558 people were hospitalized as of Sept. 26. And 17 died of the virus during the week that ended Sept. 23.

By way of comparison, when Gov. Phil Murphy lifted the public health emergency on March 4, 2022, there were 704 hospitalizations statewide. Since then, hospitalizations in New Jersey peaked on Jan. 4, 2023, with 1,790.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit New Jersey in the spring of 2020, resulting in the death of as many as 36,305 residents, according to state data.

During the past 3½ years, the virus has formed variants, including its current dominant strain, XBB.1.5, which has mutations that made it transmissible even to people who previously have had COVID, according to the American Medical Association, a trade group.

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Liu said he hasn't seen any reports that the strain is more severe than previous ones. And most of the hospital admissions are from patients who are at higher risk because they have other medical conditions. But the mask mandates are a sign that health officials still view COVID-19 with concern.

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Mask mandates have landed in the middle of a political fight, as many Republicans have vowed not to bring the mandates back. The Murphy administration has not advocated for any such mandates in New Jersey, and President Joe Biden, who once actively encouraged Americans to wear masks, has largely stayed out of the issue this time, even joking about not wearing a mask after his wife contracted COVID.

But public health officials say masks provide protection against the disease. And the state-run veterans homes in Paramus and Menlo Park were sharply criticized by the U.S. Justice Department recently for failing to ensure employees wore masks during the pandemic's early days.

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Other Shore-area hospitals said Wednesday that they are watching the data carefully, but they haven't re-introduced mask mandates.

At CentraState Medical Center in Freehold Township, for example, workers are wearing procedure masks when they provide direct, inpatient care. All patients are screened for COVID-19 symptoms when they are admitted. But there isn't a mask requirement for patients and visitors unless the patient tests positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson said.

RWJBarnabas Health, which owns Community Medical Center in Toms River, Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, and Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, is reviewing the masking policies at each of its hospitals, spokesman Robert Cavanaugh said.

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While COVID-19 has turned into a political battle, health officials argue people should continue to take precautions, particularly as the weather turns cold and friends and families begin to gather indoors.

Among the recommendations: practice basic hygiene such as handwashing; stay home if you test positive for COVID-19; and get updated vaccines.

The vaccine is likely to be effective at reducing severe disease and hospitalization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

"I think it's good to keep up-to-date with the vaccine booster," Liu said. By deciding to forgo the vaccine, "you just don't know if you're the one that's going to be in the hospital for a week."

Michael L. Diamond is a business reporter who has been writing about the New Jersey economy and health care industry for more than 20 years. He can be reached at mdiamond@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: COVID mask mandates return to these three Jersey Shore hospitals