Baystate changes masking policies amid high regional respiratory illness rates

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – Baystate Health has announced changes to their mask policy amid high levels of respiratory virus activity regionally.

Whether you like it or not, masking up is seemingly making a comeback. It’s a controversial, but simple, way to keep you and your family safe from respiratory viruses this season. “Well, this flu season has been a doozy, to put it mildly,” said Dr. Esteban Delpilar, infectious disease attending physician at Baystate Medical Center.

So far this season, 66 flu-related deaths have been reported in Massachusetts and flu-like illness infection rates are very high. “And it’s not just Springfield, Hampden County, Western Massachusetts. It’s the state, the nation,” Delpilar added.

Delpilar explained why Baystate Health stepped up their enhanced infection prevention measures across all of their clinical settings starting Monday, especially after seeing the increase first hand. “This season, I can tell you that the patients that I’ve actually taken care of that have been…in the ICU with this have been young, otherwise healthy and unvaccinated, unfortunately,” he explained.

Baystate Health announced Monday that all healthcare workers will be required to wear a medical mask in patient care areas in their facilities.

Visitors ages five and older will be required to wear masks in patient rooms, patient care areas, and common spaces including waiting rooms at all of their hospitals and medical offices. Patients, who are age five and older, are encouraged to wear a mask in those areas as well.

Employees, visitors, and patients are strongly encouraged to wear masks in non-patient care areas. However, Baystate is also recommending that you take similar measures out of their facilities as well. “If you’re not feeling that great, wear a mask,” Delpilar said. “It’s a simple enough thing that you can do.”

Another simple action you can take, according to Delpilar, is “our first line of defense is actually handwashing.”

All of these measures are consistent with guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and it follows data from the COVID-19 pandemic. “So, with that data, we know that if we implement masking, we do see a significant reduction of number, at the very least for flu,” Delpilar noted. “And that’s basically what we’re aiming at, that with as much flu as we’re seeing circulating in the community.”

How long will Baystate’s mandate last? Delpilar said that only time will tell. “We want to make sure that we have another extra layer of protection for our staff and our patients to make sure that if we can prevent, to prevent it altogether.”

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