Mask mandate remains at Health P.E.I. facilities as flu season drags on

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

As respiratory unwellness play continues crossed the province, Health P.E.I. is reminding Islanders that a mandatory masking argumentation remains successful effect astatine each of its facilities.

Lara MacMurdo, manager of occupational health, information and wellness astatine Health P.E.I., said that adjacent though it's already May, the state is inactive experiencing respiratory unwellness season, which means each visitors and health-care workers person to disguise erstwhile they're successful Health P.E.I. facilities.

Masks tin beryllium removed successful designated areas, including cafeterias and backstage diligent rooms wherever nary health-care idiosyncratic is present.

"The upwind is getting nicer… We deliberation the respiratory unwellness play should beryllium implicit by now. Unfortunately, we're not playing by the aforesaid rules that we mightiness person been utilized to," MacMurdo told CBC News.

"We are inactive successful the respiratory unwellness season, wherever we're seeing a trial positivity complaint [for influenza] that is supra our threshold of 5 per cent. So close now, P.E.I. is sitting astatine astir 12 per cent."

She added that compared to past year, the highest of P.E.I.'s influenza play arrived a small aboriginal this year, which means the play is expected to past longer than usual. Last period alone, three influenza outbreaks were reported successful Health P.E.I. facilities.

MacMurdo said masking — along with the wellness authority's ongoing measures specified arsenic promoting due manus hygiene and asking radical to stay home erstwhile they're sick — tin assistance support not conscionable health-care workers, but besides patients, their visitors and the broader community.

The Chief Public Health Office releases trial positivity information each 2 weeks. Health P.E.I. volition reappraisal the adjacent update to measure whether measures tin beryllium adjusted, she said.

"If those numbers are trending downwards, we're successful the close direction, and we tin look to revising our measures."

She said portion unit sometimes get questions from visitors astir the disguise mandate, astir radical are pursuing the rules.