Several of New Jersey’s largest hospital networks have reinstated mask mandates for visitors, reviving COVID-19 pandemic-era policies as the state confronts a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses. The moves come amid what public health officials warn could become a full-scale “quad-demic” of influenza, RSV, COVID-19 and norovirus that is already beginning to strain emergency rooms and long-term care facilities.
Hackensack Meridian Health—the state’s second-largest system, with 18 hospitals and dozens of outpatient sites—triggered the first wave of restrictions on December 1. The network now requires all visitors to mask throughout their time with admitted patients, a mandate running through January 31. Masks will be provided at entrances, and staff have been instructed to enforce the policy “during patient interactions,” the system said in a social media announcement.
RWJBarnabas Health, the state’s largest hospital operator, followed on December 16 with broader rules: all staff, patients and visitors must mask upon entering any of its 14 acute-care facilities, and symptomatic visitors are urged to delay trips by at least 24 hours. Masking at RWJBarnabas outpatient offices remains “strongly encouraged,” with requirements triggered only for those showing respiratory symptoms or their caregivers.
The New Jersey Hospital Association stepped in with its own advisory last week: “Visiting someone in the hospital? Please mask up,” warning that rising seasonal illnesses are again threatening vulnerable patients and clinical teams.
The policy resets arrive as state health data show clear upward momentum. Emergency department visits for both influenza and COVID-19 have risen sharply—15 percent and 10 percent, respectively—since mid-November, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. Hospital admissions skew heavily toward older adults for flu and COVID-19, while RSV continues to impact young children and seniors at disproportionate rates.
Flu activity statewide jumped from “moderate” to “high” in recent weeks, with 12 outbreaks reported across schools and long-term care homes—most flu-driven in classrooms and COVID-driven in eldercare. Public health experts cite a predictable recipe: colder weather, crowded indoor socializing around the holidays, and waning immunity from last season’s vaccines.
Layered on top of the traditional winter viruses, norovirus is also spiking—fueling the “quad-demic” nickname circulating among epidemiologists and emergency physicians. While COVID-19 transmission remains “low” by federal standards, hospitals report respiratory bed occupancy rising roughly 8 percent week-over-week.