Some Ontario hospitals are reinstating masking requirements

Some eastern Ontario hospitals are bringing back mask requirements in patient-care areas as the respiratory virus season approaches.

Kingston Health Sciences Centre says on its website that masking is now mandatory in the emergency department, children's outpatient clinic and in its urgent care centre.

The hospital also strongly recommends masking in clinical areas where there are high-risk patients, including oncology, neonatal intensive care and dialysis units.

It cites rising COVID-19 prevalence in southeastern Ontario as the reason for the change.

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The Ottawa Hospital says starting Monday, it will require masking in all clinical areas and waiting rooms.

The Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa also says people must wear masks in those areas, effective now.

Several hospitals in the Toronto area have continued to require masking in patient-care areas even as other hospitals in the province stopped.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has reported increasing COVID-19 activity since early August.

Health officials are also expecting cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, to climb in the fall.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.