Quebec relaxes mask requirement in health facilities
Posted April 7, 2023 10:39 am.
As the epidemiological situation continues to improve with regard to COVID-19 in Quebec, the Ministry of Health and Social Services believes it is time to relax its instructions on wearing masks in its health facilities.
In a press release issued Thursday afternoon, the MSSS says it is relying on the most recent public health recommendations to “lighten” its guidance on all personal protective equipment.
“Precautions must now be based on a more precise assessment of the situation, according to the local reality of each facility,” it reads.
It will now be the responsibility of each facility to determine the level of protection required, including whether a medical mask is required.
Institutions will have to “rely on the expertise of their infection prevention and control teams” as well as on the recommendations of the Institut national de santé publique to make their decisions.
However, the MSSS wishes to remind people that, despite this change, users and staff must continue to respect hand hygiene measures and respiratory etiquette. That is to say, in the event of symptoms resembling a respiratory infection, the wearing of a mask is required “at all times in the care environment”.
