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Several New Jersey hospitals are reinstating mask mandates in response to a recent increase in respiratory illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations. 

While the current number of cases does not approach peak rates, there has been an uptick in the past few weeks, according to the official state COVID-19 Information Hub. As of Sept. 30, the most recent available data, there were 3,697 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19. For comparison, on Jan. 7, there were 14,557 confirmed cases, a number that dropped to 712 by July 1.

Hackensack Meridian Health

As of Sept. 28, Hackensack Meridian Health is requiring all patients, visitors and staff wear masks at the following facilities: 

• Carrier Clinic 
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center 
• JFK University Medical Center 
• Palisades Medical Center 
• Ocean University Medical Center 
• Old Bridge Medical Center 
• Riverview Medical Center 
• Southern Ocean Medical Center 

“This decision was made due to an increase in COVID-19 prevalence in these communities. The health and safety of our team members and patients has always been and continues to be our number one priority,” reads a statement on Hackensack Meridian’s Visitation Guidelines webpage. 

The health care provider also “strongly” encourages face masks at all its facilities. Click here for more guidelines.  

RWJBarnabas Health 

As of Oct. 2, RWJBarnabas Health implemented the following masking protocols at all of its hospitals and facilities: 

• Inpatients: All inpatients, who are able to, will be required to wear a face mask when leaving their room and can also choose to wear a mask at any time. 
• Outpatients: Face masks must be worn at all times at RWJBarnabas Health facilities. 
• Staff: Face masks must be worn when providing direct care to patients at all locations. All staff can also choose to wear a mask at any time. 
• Visitors, volunteers and vendors: Face masks must be worn at all times when in the presence of patients. 

In a Sept. 29 update, RWJBarnabas officials also asked anyone with COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms to delay visiting one of their facilities. They also discouraged visitors who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 or another contagious respiratory illness within the past 10 days, as well as those who have been in contact with an infected individual. 

“While not mandatory, RWJBarnabas Health encourages all staff and patients 6 months or older to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends,” the provider added. 

Monitoring the situation 

NJBIZ has reached out to other health care networks around the state. Here is a roundup of what several of them shared; this story will be updated as more facilities respond. 

Atlantic Health: A spokesperson for the system shared the following with NJBIZ: “We continue to follow the guidance of local, state and federal health authorities, while keeping a close eye on the level of incidence of COVID in our communities.” They added that, at this time, masking is optional for patients and visitors within the emergency department and urgent care locations, as well as within physician offices, hospitals and other clinical areas unless otherwise indicated. However, that is subject to change. 

Atlantic Health staff will provide disposable face masks to visitors upon request. Patients exhibiting respiratory symptoms will be requested to wear masks, if tolerated. Additionally, Atlantic Health units may institute masking requirements to safeguard patients, visitors and team members based on clinical indications, the spokesperson added. 

AtlantiCare: According to a statement from Michael Heck, director of infection prevention and control: “At this time, out of an abundance of caution, we are requiring all AtlantiCare team members to wear a mask when they are within 6 feet of patients. We continue to monitor rates of flu, RSV, COVID and other respiratory illnesses among those for whom we care, and in the broader communities we serve.” Heck also urged residents to stay home if they are sick and to follow infection preventive steps such as hand washing. AtlantiCare also recommends the flu vaccination for those 6 months and older and for patients to talk with health care provider about other vaccinations.  

Bergen New Bridge Medical Center, in an updated statement, said President and CEO Deborah Visconi released its masking update to the medical center staff Oct. 6, saying, “We have been closely monitoring the uptick in COVID-19 cases and the increase in hospitalizations. These numbers and the impending flu and respiratory disease season have led us to reimplement staff masking in patient and resident care areas, which is essential to safeguard everyone’s health and well-being. Effective immediately, surgical masks are now required for staff, vendors, contractors, and volunteers when entering patient or resident care areas. When caring for a COVID-19 patient or resident or a person under investigation for COVID-19, you must wear an N95 mask for better protection for you and those we care for at the Medical Center. We strongly encourage all visitors to wear masks, which will be available at the front desk and all nursing stations.”

Holy Name: A representative said, “We continue to monitor community transmission rates and hospitalizations to inform our decision to adjust our mask policy, which at this time, continues to be suspended given the low incidence of COVID in our area. Of course, we remain vigilant and ready to pivot in the event we see an uptick in seasonal cases of influenza, COVID, and RSV.”

Inspira Health: A representative told NJBIZ that “[w]e are continuously monitoring and reviewing COVID-19 data in our immediate and surrounding areas and are not making any changes to masking policy at this time. We will continue to assess this data, revisit the policy as conditions evolve and adjust our protocols accordingly.” The representative added that Inspira encourages the community to use preventative measure to stay healthy and to wear a mask “if you are experiencing respiratory illness of any kind.”

St. Joseph’s Health: “We continue to assess the number of patients we are seeing with COVID-19 or other respiratory illness. At this time, we are requiring masking of staff and visitors on our more vulnerable patient units – for example, oncology, pediatric intensive care and neonatal intensive care. We will continue to monitor and assess daily to ensure that our patients, visitors and staff remain safe should we experience an uptick in respiratory cases,” a representative told NJBIZ. 

Virtua Health: “[W]e are not instituting a mandatory mask policy at this time but will continue to closely monitor COVID rates in our community and make changes to that policy if necessary,” a representative shared.

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 9:37 a.m. ET Oct. 4, 2023, to include a statement from Inspira Health and at 5:14 p.m. ET Oct. 4, 2023, to include a statement from Holy Name. On Oct. 6, this story was updated again to add the latest masking policy from Bergen New Bridge Medical Center.