Health Sector Mask and COVID-19 return to work guidance Advice to Support Local Implementation
At 12:01am on Tuesday 15 August, the mandatory requirements for a 7-day isolation period for people testing positive for COVID-19 and the wearing of face masks for visitors to health and disability care facilities were removed. Read the announcement from the Minister of Health, Dr Ayesha Verrall here
Despite these changes, the wearing of face masks by visitors to healthcare settings and continuing to isolate if positive for COVID-19 are still being strongly recommended. Guidance for the public can be found at Unite against COVID-19 | https://covid19.govt.nz/
Masks have never been mandated for healthcare workers, however national Te Whatu Ora infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance has consistently recommended that masks should be worn by all healthcare workers in all healthcare settings. This recommendation has not changed as a result of the Minister’s announcement and will remain in place at this time to protect the vulnerable. Health care settings are places where our most infectious people might mix with our most vulnerable. The guidance will be reviewed again in spring.
Maintaining these measures for both the public and healthcare workers continues to be an important way that we can prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, in health and disability care settings. However, as the mask mandate has gone the wearing of masks by patients/clients and visitors to health sites can be recommended but not enforced.
National IPC guidance for mask use
The Te Whatu Ora COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Group has released the August – September 2023 issue of the national IPC guidance for mask use within hospitals and other health and disability care settings.
This guidance continues to provide the minimum recommendations for mask use for all Te Whatu Ora employees, volunteers and contractors of Te Whatu Ora healthcare facilities, and patients/clients and visitors of a broad range of healthcare settings.
Te Whatu Ora providers should follow this guidance. With the support of their clinical leadership and IPC teams, they can also use it to develop their own local facility procedures on mask wearing for visitors according to where they would like visitors to continue wearing masks to protect others. Factors such as patient vulnerability, environmental considerations e.g. crowding, ventilation and local epidemiology should be taken into consideration.
In addition, healthcare workers should undertake a risk assessment of patients/clients to ensure they wear the most appropriate personal protective equipment before patient/client interactions.
These recommended precautions and measures also support healthcare workers to safely return to work following COVID-19 infection or exposure.
COVID-19 guidance for return to work for healthcare workers
New isolation guidance for the public recommends:
1. People who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate for at least 5 days, even if they only have mild symptoms, starting at Day 0. Some people can still be infectious for up to 10 days, so it is recommended they wear a mask if they need to visit a healthcare facility, aged residential care facility or have contact with anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19.
2. Day 0 is the day symptoms started or when they tested positive, whichever came first.
3. Isolation means not going to work or school.
4. If people are still unwell after they have completed 5 days of isolation, it is recommended they stay home until they are recovered. They should not visit a healthcare facility (except to access health care), aged residential care facility or have contact with anyone at risk of getting seriously unwell with COVID-19.
However, as healthcare workers have a unique role and therefore a unique responsibility when considering their return to work following COVID-19 infection or exposure, specific guidance for these workers has been developed.
The August 2023 issue of guidance for return to work for healthcare workers provides advice for health sector clinical leaders and managers on managing the return to work of healthcare workers who have been infected with, or exposed to, COVID-19, as well as those who have acute respiratory symptoms but have tested negative for COVID-19.
Promoting mask use in health and disability care settings
Local facility procedures on mask wearing for visitors will need to be clearly communicated to the public.
Posters encouraging mask wearing in hospitals and other health and disability care settings are available for download on the online resource toolkit, Brandkit Providers are encouraged to display these posters around their premises.
In addition, key messages are being distributed to your local communications teams to assist them with communicating the mask wearing expectations of your local healthcare facilities with your local communities.
If you have any queries please contact:
1. ipc@health.govt.nz re: national IPC guidance
2. nationalpublichealthops@health.govt.nz re isolation and return to work guidance
1. outbreakcomms@health.govt.nz re: communications messaging and collateral