Masking reintroduced in N.S. hospitals as respiratory illnesses increase

CTV National News: COVID on the rise in N.S. Paul Hollingsworth has more on Nova Scotia making masks mandatory in hospitals amid a rise in COVID cases.

A partial masking mandate has returned to Nova Scotia hospitals and provincially run healthcare facilities for visitors and healthcare workers.

"This is for anybody who is in clinical areas in the hospitals, inpatient units and clinics where we are providing direct patient care,” said Nova Scotia Health senior medical director Shelly McNeil.

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lisa Barrett said these regulations implemented on Thursday may seem to be limited to Nova Scotia in scope, but they are in response to the latest COVID-19 variant and its recent spread.

“You don’t need to look at the provincial numbers on surveillance to know that there is a lot of COVID out there,” said Barrett, who added the spread of the virus is in hospitals and communities across Canada, not just in Nova Scotia.

“Certain hospitals around the country have gone back to masking inside their walls in most places where patients are around in order to protect them.”

Barrett emphasized that even with the implementation of the vaccine, COVID-19 is still dangerous.

“COVID, even though we want to consider it run of the mill in all provinces is competing with the flu and there are still more deaths and hospitalizations from COVID than even from influenza,” said Barrett.

The flu, whooping cough and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) spread are also mounting concerns in many areas of Canada.

Calgary’s Katrina Bellavance said she was caught off guard when her baby contracted RSV in February 2023.

"It was scary, and she was hospitalized for several days,” said Bellavance. “When we made the call to take her into emergency, it was because she couldn't breathe."

Bellavance said the return of some mask mandates could help other families avoid what her family and daughter experienced.

"I think that it's so important that we protect the most vulnerable around us,” said Bellavance.

The masking changes are new for Nova Scotia, but not for other parts of Canada. In New Brunswick, masking for healthcare workers and patients was reintroduced earlier in September by the Horizon Health Network.