New federal guidance is recommending that all workers at long-term care facilities should wear some type of face covering at all times while inside the facility in order to reduce their exposure to contracting or transmitting COVID-19.
The guidance was issued Friday by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which specifically focuses on workers in long-term care and assisted living facilities. The document states that all workers and healthcare providers should be wearing the equipment even in break rooms and other spaces they might encounter other people, and even if the wearer isn’t showing any signs or symptoms of the disease.
Approved equipment include: cloth face coverings, facemasks, authorized surgical masks and respirators, including approved N95 masks.
Workers in close contact with a resident who is suspected of or confirmed to have COVID-19 must use an approved N95 respirator mask or an equivalent, the guidance noted.
It also calls on employers to reassess their engineering and administrative controls, like ventilation and practices for physical distancing, hand hygiene and cleaning/disinfecting surfaces, to help identify changes that could avoid the overreliance on respirators and other personal protective equipment.
“This is especially vital considering the current supply chain demand for N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs),” the guidance states.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in March issued expansive guidance on the best ways healthcare providers can conserve and use PPE to protect frontline workers.
