APIC Counters CDC’s Loosening of Mask Requirements

On September 23, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic. The update lifts universal masking recommendations for health care personnel and instead suggests that health care facilities use Community Transmission levels as a guide for determining the need for health care personnel to wear masks. Based on these guidelines, health care facilities in geographic areas with low levels of community spread could now relax employee masking requirements.

Contrary to the CDC’s new advice, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced in a recent press release that it strongly urges its 15,000 infection preventionist members to maintain mandatory mask requirement policies for health care employees in all patient care areas.

APIC stated expected COVID-19 surges, lag time in COVID-19 testing data, and the upcoming flu season as reasons for their stance on continued encouragement of mandatory mask requirements.

The association noted that numerous indicators, including wastewater surveillance and rising case counts overseas, point to a potential wave of new COVID-19 cases, which could require a shift back to universal masking. According to APIC, ever-changing mask policies could confuse health care personnel and reduce their trust, while rising COVID-19 cases could lead to health care worker shortages.