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WEIRTON - Weirton Medical Center has revised its facility masking policy, with officials citing the expiration of the national COVID health emergency in May and declining cases of COVID, RSV and influenza.
Employees, visitors and patients will no longer be required to wear protective masks in the hospital or clinics, with a few exceptions.
"While the hospital remains very busy, we are seeing a decreasing number of patients presenting with COVID and other viral conditions. In addition, the COVID patients that are presenting have a much lower illness severity than we saw in 2021," said Kelli McCoy, WMC director of communications. "Our new mask guidelines are based on policies that were developed by WVU Medicine as well as other updated clinical data."
The changes went into effect Monday.
"Employees are still required to wear a mask when engaging in direct patient care or servicing occupied patient care spaces such as with housekeeping or dietary," McCoy said. "We are asking patients to continue to wear masks anytime they leave their rooms for their protection. And as always, we are requiring anyone with respiratory symptoms to wear a mask when they are in any of our facilities. Of course, any employee, patient or visitor is always welcome to wear a mask based on their preference."
Masking policies will remain in place for visitors and staff in the hospital's skilled nursing unit on the sixth floor, based on state regulations for nursing home facilities.
"Our policy has always been based on clinical data and trending so if there is an upsurge in cases at any point in the future, we will have to revisit this policy," McCoy said.
"As part of our mission to provide exceptional, compassionate health care, a big part of that care is the personal interaction our staff provides to our friends and community. We know our whole WMC family is excited about the opportunity to reconnect personally with those patients and families."