In response to an increase in COVID-19, seasonal flu, and other respiratory illnesses, hospitals in some states have restored mask mandates.
Masks are now required for patients and providers in New York, California, Illinois, and Massachusetts healthcare facilities.
On Wednesday, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the New York City Department of Health commissioner, told WABC TV that mask mandates have been reinstated at all 11 of the city's public hospitals, 30 health centers, and five long-term care institutions.
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According to the most recent weekly data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, there were over 29,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States from December 17 to 23, up more than 16% from the previous week. During the same time period, the CDC reported 14,700 flu hospitalizations.
During the COVID pandemic, mask mandates sparked outrage among people who defied medical advice and believed masks did nothing to slow the spread of the disease.
A conservative-dominated Supreme Court overturned President Joe Biden's federal vaccine-or-test mandate for businesses, and his public transportation mask rule was overturned by a judge chosen by his Republican predecessor.
According to CDC data, more than 1.1 million Americans have died from COVID-19, a higher rate than in most other developed countries.
Rush University Medical Centre in Chicago announced that "patients, visitors, and staff will be required to wear hospital-approved masks in some areas of the campus." Clinical waiting areas and patient registration are among them."
Cook County Health, which includes Chicago and Endeavour Health in the Chicago suburbs, began enforcing masks again last month after the Illinois Department of Public Health requested that hospitals increase mitigation efforts in many areas, including facility-wide masking.
According to a statement, Berkshire Health Systems in Massachusetts initiated obligatory masking on Wednesday.
According to a county statement from the City News Service, Los Angeles County resumed masking at all licensed healthcare institutions on Saturday. A request for a response from the county's health department was not immediately returned.
