AUBURN, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Auburn Community Hospital is officially bringing back its COVID-19 mask mandate after only a month since announcing the end to the mandate.
This news comes following the new Eris COVID-19 variant that has been spreading in the Central New York Community.
On August 17, Syracuse’s Upstate Hospital announced it’s also requiring all staff, visitors, and patients in all clinical areas of the hospital to wear masks.
The new policy is effective Saturday, Aug. 19 with masking being mandatory for all staff, visitors, and patients in all clinical areas of Auburn Community Hospital, AMMS Local Physician Practices, and Finger Lakes Center for Living.
Clinical areas of the hospital are locations where patients gather, wait, travel through, or receive care. Although masking is not mandatory in non-clinical areas, it’s strongly recommended.
The following policies will stay in effect until further notice.
- ALL Employees and Visitors are required to wear a mask in areas where patients can be encountered (all patient care areas, hallways, cafeteria (when not eating)
- Covid-19 Positive patients are restricted to one visitor who is required to wear Full PPE.
- It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure masks or face shields are worn wherever patients may be encountered.
- Those employees that have tested positive and are on Covid days 6-10 and those with unrelated respiratory symptoms must still mask everywhere
- Quality and Infection Prevention will continue to monitor Covid-19 Positivity for potential surges which may require ACH to adjust these measures.
