RWJBarnabas Health systems issue new mask mandate for medical facilities

Several New Jersey hospitals in the Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health (RWJBarnabas) System now require face masks for visitors, volunteers, vendors and outpatients, according to an article from NJ Advance Media.

The mask policy change comes while coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases have been on the rise since the beginning of July, with approximately 712 cases in the first week of July and now approximately 3,471 cases in the last week of September.

Guidelines from RWJBarnabas state that visitors should reconsider visiting patients while experiencing COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms. Those diagnosed with COVID-19 or who have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19 should not visit RWJBarnabas facilities within 10 days of their last exposure, according to the guidelines.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital in New Brunswick are among the RWJBarnabas facilities using the recommended guidelines.