State mask mandate ends, some local hospitals keep many rules in place
Many patients, visitors and employees at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard were able to take off their masks Monday as one of the last pandemic mandates ended.
But a few miles away at Ventura County Medical Center in Ventura, masking rules stayed in place in most situations as part of a mixed response that greeted the expiration of the California Department of Public Health's edict on face coverings in health settings, nursing homes, jails and homeless shelters.
The change was announced a month ago just after California’s COVID-19 emergency ended. State officials said masks should still be considered – recommended if risks rise – but as of Monday are no longer mandated in many high-risk settings. Hospitals and other organizations can also set their own rules.
At least two area hospitals, VCMC and its sister facility, Santa Paula Hospital, said nurses, doctors and other employees are still required to cover up when caring for patients though masks are optional in break rooms, conference areas and individual offices. Hospital visitors are also required to wear masks.
At other hospitals including St. John’s in Oxnard and Camarillo and Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, masks become optional in many situations. Coverings are still required in some areas, including operating rooms and patient isolation rooms.
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At Community Memorial Healthcare's hospitals in Ventura and Ojai, all employees in in-patient care areas will be required to wear masks. Visitors will be required to wear masks in the critical care unit as well as neonatal intensive care and the skilled nursing facility on the Ojai hospital's campus.
Adventist Health Simi Valley officials said on Monday they expect to update their guidelines on Tuesday. Some hospitals had been waiting for more input from the California Department of Public Health but state officials said they don’t expect to issue more guidance, referring other high-risk settings to the changes released a month ago.
Clinics, doctor's offices, dental practices and other health care settings can also set their own masking rules. The mixed response is not a surprise, said Dr. Robert Levin, the county’s health officer. He said hospitals and clinics are likely considering employee vaccination rates and other factors.
“I just think they’re responding to internal conditions that might vary between institutions,” he said.
Levin said public health staff has told nursing homes, assisted care centers and other long-term faciities they also can keep masking rules in place for visitors and workers but aren't required to do so. Several sites reported Monday they made masks optional.
“The letter is going out today,” said Warren Spieker of University Village senior community and OakView Health Center, both in Thousand Oaks, adding he didn’t expect the news to trigger much pushback. “Those who are particularly concerned will continue to wear one.”
State officials are recommending that policies hinge on local COVID risks. If community levels are rated as “medium” or “high” in a weekly assessment by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevent, masks are recommended though not mandated.
In Ventura County, community levels remain low with 17 COVID patients in the county’s eight hospitals as of a weekly report released Thursday. Levin reacted to the low levels with a single adverb.
"Gratefully," he said.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura County hospitals, nursing homes reveal new masking rules
