COVID-19 community transmission rates in several of our counties continue to decline.
Based on updated CDC guidance, if community COVID-19 transmission levels are not “high,” healthcare facilities can determine whether to require universal masking for clinicians, patients, and visitors.
Montgomery, Greene, and Darke Counties transmission levels are now down from a high to a substantial level.
We are excited to announce the following:
Effective immediately, those who work at Kettering Health locations in Montgomery, Greene, and Darke Counties are no longer required to wear face masks unless required per the isolation status of a patient whose room they’re entering (e.g. patients with known or suspected COVID-19 still require an N95 respirator) if they:
- Do not have suspected or a confirmed COVID-19 infection or other respiratory infection;
- Have not had close contact or a high-risk exposure to someone with a COVID-19 infection for 10 days after their exposure;
- Do not reside or work on a unit or area of the facility experiencing a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak; and
- Have not otherwise had source control recommended by public health authorities.
Patients and visitors at Kettering Health facilities in these counties no longer need to wear a mask unless they have symptoms related to COVID-19, including fever and cough, or if they have had recent exposure to an individual who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
However, because COVID-19 community transmission levels remain high in our other service counties, individuals working at all our healthcare facilities outside of Montgomery, Greene, and Darke Counties must wear face masks when they are in areas where they could encounter patients.
We will continue to monitor the CDC’s guidance and data to update you.
NOTE: If transmission levels return to a high or red status, we will need to re-institute universal masking, per CDC guidance.