Salem Hospital To Drop COVID-19 Mask Requirement As Public Health Emergency Expires

SALEM, MA — Patients, visitors and employees will no longer have to mask up in Salem Hospital and related medical facilities beginning next week when the COVID-19 public health emergency is allowed to expire after more than three years.

While masks have been largely optional in most public buildings since the end of the Massachusetts state of emergency on May 29, 2021, and as school mask requirements were lifted in February 2022, medical facilities were one area where they remained mandatory.

Facilities will have the option to create their own individual policies beginning with the expiration of the public health emergency on Thursday with Mass General Brigham saying that Salem Hospital will drop its mandatory policy.

"Masks have been important during the pandemic," the hospital network said. "At this point in time, however, universal masking is no longer needed. This is due to many factors, including the availability of vaccines and treatments."

Masks will continue to be available at Mass General Brigham facilities for those who wish to continue wearing them. The medical mask can be worn by itself or over your home mask. Masks will be available at hygiene stations.

Patients will still be required to wear masks if they have a fever or flu-like symptoms, have a known COVID-19 infection or have a known exposure to COVID-19 within the previous 10 days.

Mass General Brigham said patients and visitors will not be able to request or compel a doctor, nurses or other employees to wear a mask in their presence.

"You cannot ask staff members to wear a mask because our policies no longer require it," the hospital said. "Our system is adhering to current public health recommendations."

While employees will no longer be required to wear a mask they may still have them on under circumstances within hospital policy.

"An employee does not need to explain why they are wearing a mask," the hospital said.

"In the future, there may be circumstances when our policies are updated to include targeted or broader masking," MGH Brigham added. "Our experts will continue to re-evaluate our policies, as they have throughout the pandemic, and adjust as needed."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)