Face masks within healthcare set to remain ‘until at least’ March

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Universal face masks for staff and masks or coverings for all patients or visitors should remain an infection prevention or control (IPC) measure within health and care settings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland until at least March or April 2022, the government has said.
The recommendation has come in spite of the removal of mask mandates more generally in England from this week (Thursday).
The guidance from NHS England, the UK Health Security Agency, the Northern Ireland Public Health Agency, and Public Health Wales has also recommended that physical distancing of one metre should still remain, increasing whenever feasible to two metres, across all health and care settings.
Two metres’ distancing should also be in place where patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory infection are being cared for or managed.
In response to omicron and other Covid-19 variants of concern, the guidance has recommended that staff and organisations continue to undertake risk assessments using ‘hierarchy of controls’ measures.
This should include an evaluation of the ventilation in the area, operational capacity, physical distancing and prevalence of Covid-19.
The guidance has also made a range of recommendations for occupational health practitioners working within the NHS, health or care settings.
This has included re-emphasising that “prompt recognition” of cases of respiratory infection among health and care staff remains essential to limiting transmission.
“All staff should be vigilant for any signs of respiratory infection and should not come to work if they have respiratory symptoms. They should seek advice from their IPC teams/occupational health department/GP or employer as per the local policy,” it said.