Elliot Lake hospital moving towards ‘normalcy’ with mask-friendly policy
St. Joseph’s General Hospital Elliot Lake (SJGHEL) moving towards “normalcy,” said hospital officials in a news release Friday.
An undated file photo of disposable medical mask. (CTV News)
Starting on April 29, SJGHEL will transition from its Universal Masking Policy to a more ‘mask-friendly’ policy.
“As we continue to navigate the challenges posed by COVID-19 and other Acute Respiratory
Infections (ARIs), SJGHEL remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its
patients, staff, and visitors while adapting to evolving circumstances,” read the release.
The hospital will still encourage everyone to continue practicing good hand hygiene and “respiratory etiquette” to help mitigate the spread of respiratory illnesses.
“As an outbreak prevention measure to our most vulnerable patients, all essential care partners and visitors to inpatient units will still be required to wear a medical mask while in shared occupancy rooms, until further notice,” said staff.
SJGHEL will still require masking of all patients and their support persons attending the emergency, chemotherapy and day surgery departments until they are assessed by a healthcare provider.
The hospital said it will also continue to monitor Algoma Public Health recommendations and policies or procedures may be adjusted to prioritize the health and safety of its staff and patients.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.