(Quebec) Since the epidemiological situation continues to improve with regard to COVID-19 in Quebec, the Ministry of Health and Social Services believes that it is time to relax its instructions on wearing a mask in its care settings.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the MSSS says it is relying on the most recent public health recommendations to “lighten” its guidance on all personal protective equipment.
“Precautions must now be a more precise assessment of the situation, based on the local reality of each installation,” it reads.
It will therefore now be the responsibility of each establishment to determine the level of protection required, including the obligation or not to wear a medical mask.
Institutions will therefore have to “rely on the competence of their infection prevention and control teams” as well as on the recommendations of the National Institute of Public Health to make their decisions.
However, the MSSS would like to remind you that, despite this change, users and staff must continue to respect hand hygiene measures and respiratory etiquette. That is to say, in the event of symptoms resembling a respiratory infection, wearing a mask is required “at all times in healthcare settings”.
