LONG ISLAND, NY — Mask requirements at hospitals and health care facilities are set to expire Sunday, according to the New York State Department of Health.
The new state guidance is in line with the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the DOH said.
Coverage remains a “vital and effective infection prevention strategy,” the DOH said. The new guidance, which goes into effect on February 12, advises all facilities to develop and implement a coverage plan for staff and visitors to their health centers that includes COVID-19 and uses transmission levels, as a minimum limit.
“March 1st marks 3 years since the first case of COVID-19 was identified in New York,” said Deputy State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald.. “Health care workers across the state have performed consistently and heroically throughout this pandemic and have used masks and other personal protective equipment to protect themselves and their patients. The pandemic is not over, but we're making a transition. As we do, and with safe and effective vaccines, treatments and more, we're able to lift the state's health care coverage requirement as operators now develop and implement their own facility-specific plans, according to federal CDC guidance and the level of transmission in their areas.”
The advisory was issued to all DOH-regulated facilities and entities, including hospitals, nursing homes, home health care and hospice services, as well as diagnostic and treatment centers.
Facilities are expected to follow previously established and required policies for the control of infectious diseases, including COVID-19, which at least comply with the CDC's system of guidance and transmission levels, the DOH said.
The coverage requirement could be re-implemented at any time when levels of COVID-19 transmission are high enough to trigger this recommendation from the CDC, the DOH said.
Facilities regulated by the Department may also set requirements that exceed CDC guidelines, based on their own unique circumstances.
Health care facilities in New York State that remain outside DOH's regulatory authority, including private medical and dental practices, are advised to also adhere to COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures, the DOH said.
New York adult care facilities are recommended by the Department to follow community guidance and CDC guidance on residential living conditions.
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York's statewide positivity rate on Friday was 4.95 percent. the positivity rate on Long Island remained the lowest this week statewide at 3.66 percent.
Dr. Sanjey Gupta, the chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Northwell Health's South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, spoke with Patch earlier this week and said health professionals are looking at the pandemic from a different angle. the world is back to normal, we're all still wearing masks,” Gupta said, ahead of the news that the order would be withdrawn. “People still have a barrier — we don't have face-to-face exposure with our patients.”
And, for medical staff, Gupta said, “There's always a level of stress.”
For many health care workers, the fight against the pandemic is still very real, Gupta said. “The things that were revealed during COVID – social, emotional, health disparities that emerged, were persistent. For many health workers, there's still long-term PTSD, anxiety, depression, lack of sleep, extreme nervousness. It's still a lot of people in health care they really suffered.”
COVID, Gupta said, changed the world for everyone. “There's a different kind of pairing that exists now. I hope we get better. I hope we continue to heal.”
