Several Toronto hospitals see return of mask mandates
Four major hospitals and other facilities that are part of the University Health Network will be demanding visitors wear masks when receiving or waiting for care starting next week.
A major hospital network in Canada's largest city is making masks mandatory. All visitors to Toronto's University Health Network (UHN) will be required to wear a mask when receiving or waiting for care, starting on October 28.
UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto Rehab, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and other facilities.
“This requirement applies to patients, visitors, and staff. You must also still wear a mask in areas where many patients may be at a higher risk of illness,” read a notice posted to the UHN website.
“Masks are optional in common areas such as lobbies and food courts,” it said.
UHN medical director of infection prevention and control Dr. Susy Hota said the decision was made in an effort to reduce a coming wave of illnesses.
“We really wanted to be ahead of the curve in terms of when we expect respiratory viruses to really be taking off,” Hota told CP24. “And looking at what the trends were like last year, for example, we really noticed a lot more respiratory virus activity with COVID-19, influenza, and RSV, which is another common respiratory virus, as of November.”
The policy will be adjusted throughout the season, she said, suggesting it might be eased in February.
“We anticipate, again, looking at what we see in previous years, that by the end of February, the respiratory viruses should be coming down a little bit in terms of the prevalence.”
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