Mandatory masking will be in place at all Health P.E.I. facilities next week, agency says

Visitors and staff at all Health P.E.I. facilities where care is provided are now required to wear a medical mask starting Jan. 27, the agency said.

The masking policy is in response to ongoing overcapacity issues facing the health-care system, Health P.E.I. said in a news release Friday.

"Our emergency departments and acute-care units have been straining from overcapacity for weeks, and we've yet to see the worst of this respiratory season." Melanie Fraser, CEO of Health P.E.I., said in the release.

"We must take all precautions necessary to prevent more people from getting sick."

Benefits to 'individual and collective health'

For some Islanders, such as those living in long-term care, the risk of severe outcomes from respiratory illnesses is higher, said Marion Dowling, Health P.E.I.'s chief nursing officer.

Marion Dowling, chief of nursing at Health P.E.I., says the masking policy is meant to pre-empt a further increase in respiratory illness in the community. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)

"We're starting to have outbreaks within some of our facilities with RSV, influenza, other respiratory illnesses," Dowling said.

Health P.E.I. is anticipating a further increase in respiratory illness in the community, which the new mask policy is intended to pre-empt.

"Wearing a mask not only protects yourself but also safeguards your loved ones," Dowling said. "It's a shared responsibility that benefits both our individual and collective health."

The mask policy is a way to manage the increase in illness so care facilities can maintain regular visitation, Dowling said, but those seeking care who are unable to wear a mask will not be turned away.

"We aren't refusing care to folks. We're just asking for that sort of shared ownership of what we've all learned in coming through the pandemic," she said.

"If you're feeling unwell, don't come visit people. If you're feeling unwell and you're unable to wear a mask, that's OK too. You will still receive care."

Masks will be available at Health P.E.I. facilities, but people can choose to wear their own masks if they prefer, Dowling said.

Who doesn't need to mask?

Dowling said in-patients and residents in long-term care will not be required to wear masks.

"Residents in long-term care, that's their home," she said. "We're asking anyone who's coming in and out of those places to do it,"

There may also be exceptions for designated partners in care — or those who are staying with someone for long periods of time, as may be the case for parents of young children or those accompanying someone who's in palliative care.

There will also be designated areas outside of care environments — like the cafeteria — where masking will not be mandatory.

The masking policy will be updated "when it is safe to do so," said Health P.E.I.