Starting today, UW Health and UnityPoint Health-Meriter will once again require staff, patients, and visitors to wear face masks in clinic settings including waiting rooms, scheduling areas, and exam rooms, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. The decision, announced Monday, comes as a result of recent rises in COVID-19, flu, and RSV cases in Dane County and statewide.
Masks will not be mandatory in areas such as cafeterias, lobbies, administrative spaces, and elevators. Staff, patients, and visitors were already being asked to wear masks in inpatient settings, patient and procedure rooms, and high-risk areas like transplant clinics, the Carbone Cancer Center, emergency departments, and urgent care locations.
SSM Health is not yet changing its masking guidelines but is monitoring the situation.
