In December, several major health systems made headlines when they reinstated COVID-19-era mask mandates for patients and providers amid a rise in respiratory virus cases.
New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals reinstated a mask policy across all of its facilities, including at its outpatient and ambulatory care centers, while the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a statement advising all healthcare facilities to "step up mitigation efforts" and supported the CDC's recommendation to mask at health facilities in counties where COVID-19 and respiratory virus transmission rates were high.
The U.S. faced its highest infection rates at the end of January, which aligned with predictions from the fall. Most parts of the country have seen a decline in respiratory infections in recent weeks.
Here are eight updates on masks in the U.S.:
1. The CDC has requested clarification on N95 masking guidance in healthcare facilities from the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee.
2. U.S.-based N95 and surgical mask production has dropped 90% in the last two years as 70% of the startup mask companies created during the COVID-19 pandemic's shortage of personal protective equipment shuttered.
3. New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals is still requiring masks to be worn across all of its facilities.
4. Madison, Wis.-based UW Health, which reinstated mask wearing at several of its care sites in November, is still requiring masks at some locations.
5. Somerville, Mass.-based Mass General Brigham, the largest health system in Massachusetts, still requires masks for employees when in a room with patients.
6. Cleveland Clinic, which required masks across all facilities in December and January, has since adjusted its mask wearing requirements.
7. Three California counties have started requiring masks. Marin County hospitals have had a mask mandate in place since November 1. In Santa Clara County, masks have been required since April 4. In San Francisco, masks are required in hospital settings for all workers in medical fields and in prisons.
8. In the fall, the Texas government banned mask mandates in public spaces altogether, with exemptions for state-supported living centers and government-owned healthcare facilities.