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Hospitals across the U.S. are reinstating Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) mask mandates as the JN.1 variant becomes the dominant strain spreading throughout the country.
Medical facilities in some East Coast states – Wisconsin, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Delaware – have all reinstated face covering rules, mandating that people wear them in certain medical settings.
In one example, the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (NYC Health + Hospitals) announced the return of mask mandates at its hospitals. "Due to an uptick in respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, flu & RSV in our communities & our hospital, we must return to mandatory masking," the hospital operator wrote on X. "Please wear a mask when you visit us."
A separate NYC Health + Hospitals post also announced the return of "mandatory masking" at the Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx. The mask mandate was brought about by "the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities," the post added.
UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts also confirmed that mask mandates for staff members would return on Jan. 2 and last for a month. However, patients and visitors won't be mandated to mask up. A spokesperson for the hospital said after the month-long mandate, the necessity of masks in the hospital "will be reevaluated based on current trends."
The Mass General Brigham health system in the Bay State also announced the return of mask mandates, saying in a statement that the policies "are based on the current respiratory illness rates in our communities."....<<<Read More>>>....