New Jersey’s largest hospital network, RWJBarnabas Health, has reintroduced a mask mandate and social distancing requirements for visitors across its facilities. The updated guidelines, posted on hospital system’s website this week, reflect a cautious approach as respiratory illness rates climb statewide.
The new policy requires all visitors to wear “an appropriate face mask” and maintain physical distancing while inside the hospitals. Visitors may be asked to replace their personal masks with hospital-provided ones to ensure effective source control. Hand hygiene is also emphasized, with visitors instructed to wash their hands before entering.
The mask mandate applies to all RWJBarnabas hospitals, though it remains optional in the system’s outpatient settings. However, masking is strongly encouraged for all individuals — including providers, staff, patients, visitors, and vendors — when in proximity to patients. The guidelines stipulate that masking is mandatory for anyone displaying respiratory symptoms and for staff members or providers caring for symptomatic patients.
In addition to masking, hospital officials urge anyone feeling unwell, exhibiting symptoms, or experiencing a fever to postpone their visit for at least 24 hours.
The decision comes as New Jersey experiences a steady rise in COVID-19 cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite the increase, the CDC currently classifies the infection risk as “low.” Meanwhile, the state’s overall infection rates for respiratory illnesses, including influenza and RSV, are rated as “moderate.”