Staff in local skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) will be required to continue wearing masks under a new Contra Costa County health order.
The order, which requires masks to be well-fitted and cover the nose and mouth, will also apply to paramedics, emergency medical technicians, contractors and vendors when they enter these facilities in Contra Costa. The masking order will not apply to SNF patients or visitors seeing their loved ones.
The County’s health order will go into effect on Monday, April 3, immediately after the state’s COVID masking order for healthcare settings expires.
“Requiring staff at SNFs to wear well-fitting masks will help protect their vulnerable elderly patients from being infected with COVID,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the County’s health officer, who is issuing the order. “We know from our experience during the pandemic that the people SNFs serve – seniors with serious underlying health problems – are the ones who are most susceptible to severe outcomes from a COVID infection.”
Since the pandemic began in 2020, 57% of the deaths from COVID in Contra Costa have been among people ages 75 and older.
There are 30 SNFs in Contra Costa. Skilled nursing facilities provide a higher level of medical care than other long-term care facilities. The order will not apply to assisted living facilities, residential-care facilities or board-and-care homes, although masking is still highly recommended in those settings.
Hospitals and outpatient healthcare clinics in Contra Costa County will not be subject to the new County order, although local health systems can choose to enforce their own masking policies. Dr. Tzvieli said hospitals have robust infection-control policies and personnel and can determine if and when masking is required.
California’s pandemic-related health emergency ended on Feb. 28. While the state is lifting its masking requirements for healthcare settings on April 3, local health officials can still issue their own masking orders.
Under the County health order, a well-fitted mask is defined as covering the nose and mouth and it’s strongly recommended that SNF personnel use higher-quality masks, such as an N95 or KN95/94, to provide the maximum protection.
17 comments
Wow. These people are insufferable. THERE IS NO VIRUS OTHER THEN AUTHORITARIAN POLITICIANS. Masks are for halloween. The COVID HOAX is over.
They are delusional. You would think they would know better but the money is too good.
Govern me harder!
Strange how the C.C.C. brain trust believes the so-called virus only spreads via the staff of these facilities and not by the elderly within them nor those who visit them. Hmmm? 🤔 Makes no sense at ALL, but then again, it never has over the last three years.
As usual, no rhyme or reason, common sense nor critical thinking necessary.
Just continue to move along folks….nothing to see here!
Just another control mechanism put in place, furthering the Police State that is rapidly advancing, unabated.
I have no horse in this race so whatever they decide to do with what is mentioned above I don’t care at all it doesn’t affect me doesn’t concern me has nothing to do with me so have at it people do whatever the hell you want I just don’t care about this
You apparently read the article, or at least cared enough to comment, so….
remember Sally, staff goes around changing dirty diapers and are working with frail and immunocompromised (have a weakened immune system). It is a wise choice to protect elderly from workers who sometimes have no common sense or good health practices.
Better safe than sorry!
@Sally, the staff are far more likely to have infectious diseases than family/friend visitors and patients. Clear plastic face shields, particularly by the med techs and others with direct patient interaction, were common well before the pandemic. Because they are typically young and healthy their currently being infected with something is usually a non-issue. Face masks and shields allows them to continue to work which is import as these are very low income jobs.
I wonder how much money China has made selling us masks after they released the COVID virus on us.
Newsom made a billion dollar mask order from China. How did that turn out?
Turned out pretty well for China, I’m sure.
Do not question authority. OBEY
Oh, come the freak on. I am SICK of wearing a mask at work. My patients and coworkers HATE it. Thankfully I have my own office or I would be stuck in a flipping mask all day long. This guy is a moron. I know him from my days at CCC. He can go get hit in the face with a brick.
When were you an inmate in coco county? We probably know some of the same people.
For all those who hate the mask mandates and think Covid is a HAOX must not have been personally affected by it and good for you. THOSE of us who work in health care and have had loved ones and friends or patient’s affected or die then we know what helps. As a healthcare worker and having to wear them 10 hours a day we also know that if the staff gets sick there is NO ONE TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS. LIKE then ANTIVAX people or the conspiracy theory people or your sick elderly people that you can’t or won’t take care of. SO WORRIE ABOUT YOURSELF AND SIT DOWN
Angry much healthcare worker?
Since you have worked, or still do in healthcare, you will know that the masks are NOT required for everyday work. If masks were really that value added over the years, why have not been required during the Bird Flu pandemic a few years ago, or even during the regular flu season – both of which you would recognize are very contagious as well. As you will be unable to answer those simple questions with any degree of scientific evidence, you will then need to recognize that masks are not required.
It is not only the antivax or the conspiracy people that think masks are useless. See, I am vaxed, I think the disease was impactful, but I also believe that masks were not effective all.
And personally for you, with the anger in your post, I hope you do not actually treat any patients with that attitude. I hope that you are in a backroom somewhere completely out of contact with any patient.
Lol, sorry “hero”. It must really bother you to have everyone thinking you assisted deadly government mandates and questioning your industry encouraging trans kids..pardon me 🙇♂️
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