MU healthcare announced today that it will end its universal masking requirement effective immediately for all MU Health Care hospitals and clinics.
This announcement comes after an advisory was issued yesterday by DNV Healthcare, MU Healthcare’s accreditation agency. The advisory outlined new guidance for accredited institutions which allows them to use independent internal metrics to assess COVID-19 risk within their own facilities.
The decision to lift the universal masking requirements was made based on the results of a COVID-19 risk assessment that was conducted by MU Healthcare’s Infection Control Team. Although masks are now optional within MU Healthcare facilities, standard precautions may require some visitors and patients to mask under certain circumstances.
Currently, patients and visitors will still be required to mask if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms, have had COVID-19 exposure or a positive test within the previous ten days, or if they are visiting a patient with COVID-19 or another contagious respiratory virus.
Staff will also be required to mask at the request of the patient, for any reason. Under standard precautions, MU healthcare staff will be required to wear a mask when interacting with patients that have respiratory illnesses, as well as during procedures that may put the employee or patient at risk.
