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Updated Masking Guidelines

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Effective immediately, masking continues to be required for staff, Veterans, and visitors while in the high-risk areas.  

High Risk Areas Include:

  • Transplant units  
  • Dialysis  
  • Chemotherapy units  
  • ED & urgent care  
  • Open Bay Medical ICUs 
  • SCI and CLC (staff and visitors only)  

 

Staff may remove masks in these high-risk areas only under the following circumstances: 

  • they are not in a patient room; 
  • they are not within six feet of a Veteran in a congregate area (e.g., shared meals in CLC); or
  • they are not within six feet of a patient in an open treatment area/room.

 

Masking also continues to be required:

  • for those with a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection or other viral respiratory infection;
  • for VA staff during clinical encounters when requested by a Veteran, caregiver or family member; or
  • where local leadership warrants continued masking is required.

 

Masking is no longer universally required in the following locations:

  • Acute inpatient medical/surgical units
  • Acute inpatient mental health units
  • Intensive care units with closed rooms
  • Clinical areas where aerosol generating procedures are performed
  • Laboratories collecting or handling specimens from known or suspected COVID-19 patients (e.g., areas where staff are manipulating cultures from known or suspected COVID-19 patients)
  • Congregate settings and bedded residential settings (e.g., blind rehab, residential mental health, homeless shelters)
  • Outpatient areas where a significant proportion of patients have high-risk for complication

 

In addition, VHA will no longer require routine testing for ambulatory procedures or for Veterans leaving and returning to a closed congregate setting. Surveillance testing for CLC and SCI-D Staff is no longer required in all circumstances.