{"id":68648,"date":"2023-03-01T08:58:10","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T15:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=68648"},"modified":"2024-05-13T09:29:31","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T15:29:31","slug":"masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/","title":{"rendered":"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_55964\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55964\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-55964 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp\" alt=\"Dr. Michelle Barron is one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado. She has deemed it safe for UCHealth to lift mask mandates for most people in hospitals and clinics. Barron is known for her infectiously positive attitude and for keeping patients and staff members safe throughout the pandemic. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.\" width=\"600\" height=\"429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp 600w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny-300x215.webp 300w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny-150x107.webp 150w, https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny-200x143.webp 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-55964\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Michelle Barron is one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado. She has deemed it safe for UCHealth to lift mask mandates for most people in hospitals and clinics. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Masks are no longer required for most people at UCHealth hospitals and clinics now that fewer people are testing positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone who prefers to wear a mask is, of course, welcome to continue doing so. Immunocompromised people and those at high risk of getting severely ill with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses may choose to keep wearing masks and avoiding crowded places.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, people who are sick with respiratory symptoms, including coughing and sneezing, should stay home. If sick people need to come to a hospital or health care facility for medical care, they should wear a mask to prevent the spread of infection to others.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why are mask mandates at UCHealth being lifted?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>COVID-19 is now endemic and people will continue to contract the virus. But the change in masking policies at health care facilities should give people confidence that we can live with the virus and can go on with normal life.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe consider it safe to lift mask mandates,\u201d said Dr. Michelle Barron, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/michelle-barron-md-infectious-disease\/\">senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/meet-the-top-infectious-disease-expert-in-colorado\/\">one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado<\/a>. \u201cWhile we should all be kind and considerate of others, it\u2019s wonderful to go back to normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The decision to lift mask mandates is based on data. <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/cdphe.colorado.gov\/covid-19\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Positivity rates for COVID-19 tests have been declining<\/a>. During challenging periods of the pandemic, positivity rates for COVID-19 tests soared well over 25%, meaning that the virus was causing widespread illness. Now, positivity rates and hospitalizations have fallen, which is key, said Barron, who is also a <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/som.ucdenver.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/8603\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">professor of medicine and infectious diseases<\/a> at the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/medschool.cuanschutz.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/locations\/uchealth-at-university-of-colorado-anschutz-medical-campus\/\">Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She and other public health experts have used positivity and vaccination rates as key benchmarks throughout the pandemic. <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosph.cuanschutz.edu\/resources\/covid-19\/modeling-results\">The data and models<\/a> have guided policies for various issues, from mask mandates to hospital visitation rules.<\/p>\n<p>While Barron is confident that the new mask guidelines are safe, she understands that some people will be uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLifting of mask mandates in health care facilities may cause some angst. It\u2019s the right thing to do. The science supports this decision. But for some people, it will be an adjustment,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Employees, patients and visitors: Be kind and considerate<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Barron is urging people to be kind and considerate as we transition to new guidelines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBe kind to those who might still have reservations about these changes,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome people will be thrilled. Others will still be scared of getting sick and will need extra time. That\u2019s OK,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can agree to disagree. No one is forcing anyone to take their masks off. If people are not ready to take masks off, that\u2019s fine. We have all suffered losses during the pandemic. We need to understand that different people have had different experiences,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n<p>Hospitals always have had units where people are especially vulnerable and masks and other protective gear always have been required in those units. For instance, patients who have just had lung transplants are especially vulnerable to respiratory infections. Visitors and health care providers in those settings still will wear masks to protect patients.<\/p>\n<p>Patients who have an infectious disease may be required to wear a mask, and their care team members and visitors also may be required to wear masks and other types of person protective equipment including eye protection, gloves or gowns. These infection prevention measures have been standard for decades to help keep patients, visitors and health care workers safe.<\/p>\n<p>Barron is encouraging sick people to be considerate as well.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>As mask mandates ease, here are recommendations from UCHealth&#8217;s infectious disease expert:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are sick, stay home and don\u2019t expose friends or co-workers to whatever illness you have.<\/li>\n<li>If you are sick and are coughing or sneezing and need to visit a hospital or your doctor\u2019s office, please wear a mask.<\/li>\n<li>If you are meeting with friends who are protecting loved ones who are especially vulnerable if they get COVID-19 or flu or other respiratory viruses, please be kind and respect their wishes if they want to wear masks.<\/li>\n<li>Have open and honest conversations with co-workers and loved ones about choices you want to make.<\/li>\n<li>Allow people to adjust to new mask rules at their own pace.<\/li>\n<li>Continue to practice good hygiene. Washing hands and avoiding close contact with people who are sick is always a good idea.<\/li>\n<li>Use your common sense. If you\u2019re in a crowded restaurant, for instance, and someone is sneezing and coughing right near you, it\u2019s fine to ask to move.<\/li>\n<li>Be especially careful in crowded, indoor environments. If you are at high risk yourself or are protecting a loved one who is immunocompromised and you wish to continue wearing a mask in those settings, that\u2019s fine.<\/li>\n<li>Respect rules and adopt practices that work for you. Barron, for example, likes wearing a mask on flights. \u201cOn an airplane, I can\u2019t walk away. If I have the bad luck to be near someone who is hacking and sneezing, and I\u2019m in the splash zone, I definitely want to be wearing my mask,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n<li>And, be aware that mask rules may change next fall or winter if new, especially virulent COVID-19 virus variants emerge or if flu cases spike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cWe never know what\u2019s next,\u201d Barron said. \u201cWe will certainly go through phases when new variants will surge. We will respond appropriately if and when that happens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut, we don\u2019t wear masks year-round in anticipation of the coming flu season,\u201d she said. \u201cThe change in mask mandates is a good thing. We\u2019re learning and we\u2019re responding.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Masks are no longer required for most people at UCHealth hospitals and clinics now that fewer people are testing positive for COVID-19. Anyone who prefers to wear a mask is, of course, welcome to continue doing so. Immunocompromised people and those at high risk of getting severely ill with COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses may [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2123,"featured_media":55964,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[4860,392],"class_list":["post-68648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-covid-19","tag-infection-prevention"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Masks no longer required in UCHealth facilities - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"UCHealth hospitals and clinics no longer have mask mandates, but anyone who prefers to wear a mask should continue doing so.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"UCHealth hospitals and clinics no longer have mask mandates, but anyone who prefers to wear a mask should continue doing so.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-01T15:58:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-13T15:29:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9\"},\"headline\":\"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-01T15:58:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-13T15:29:31+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1007,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/10202102\\\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"COVID-19\",\"Infection prevention\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/\",\"name\":\"Masks no longer required in UCHealth facilities - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/10202102\\\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-01T15:58:10+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-05-13T15:29:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"UCHealth hospitals and clinics no longer have mask mandates, but anyone who prefers to wear a mask should continue doing so.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/10202102\\\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/10202102\\\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp\",\"width\":600,\"height\":429,\"caption\":\"Dr. Michelle Barron is one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado. She has deemed it safe for UCHealth to lift mask mandates for most people in hospitals and clinics. Barron is known for her infectiously positive attitude and for keeping patients and staff members safe throughout the pandemic. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9\",\"name\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon is a proud Coloradan. She attended Colorado College thanks to a merit scholarship from the Boettcher Foundation and worked as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park during summers in college. Katie is a dedicated storyteller who loves getting to know UCHealth patients and providers and sharing their inspiring stories. Katie spent years working as an award-winning journalist at the Rocky Mountain News and at an online health policy news site before joining UCHealth in 2017. Katie and her husband, Cyrus \u2014 a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer \u2014 have three adult children and love spending time in the Colorado mountains and traveling around the world.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/mccrimmonk\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Masks no longer required in UCHealth facilities - UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth hospitals and clinics no longer have mask mandates, but anyone who prefers to wear a mask should continue doing so.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics","og_description":"UCHealth hospitals and clinics no longer have mask mandates, but anyone who prefers to wear a mask should continue doing so.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2023-03-01T15:58:10+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-05-13T15:29:31+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/"},"author":{"name":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9"},"headline":"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics","datePublished":"2023-03-01T15:58:10+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-13T15:29:31+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/"},"wordCount":1007,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp","keywords":["COVID-19","Infection prevention"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/","name":"Masks no longer required in UCHealth facilities - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp","datePublished":"2023-03-01T15:58:10+00:00","dateModified":"2024-05-13T15:29:31+00:00","description":"UCHealth hospitals and clinics no longer have mask mandates, but anyone who prefers to wear a mask should continue doing so.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/06\/10202102\/Leaning-on-cement-tiny.webp","width":600,"height":429,"caption":"Dr. Michelle Barron is one of the top infectious disease experts in Colorado. She has deemed it safe for UCHealth to lift mask mandates for most people in hospitals and clinics. Barron is known for her infectiously positive attitude and for keeping patients and staff members safe throughout the pandemic. Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon, for UCHealth."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/masks-mandates-lifted-at-uchealth-facilities\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UCHealth lifts mask mandates for most people at hospitals and clinics"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/d43cd81d6f8e440a3e496f8a012c68e9","name":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e4b3e7f171d65a6d6ea64ec84c6b217b969af09b9439c593a692bbcccd793724?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon, UCHealth"},"description":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon is a proud Coloradan. She attended Colorado College thanks to a merit scholarship from the Boettcher Foundation and worked as a park ranger in Rocky Mountain National Park during summers in college. Katie is a dedicated storyteller who loves getting to know UCHealth patients and providers and sharing their inspiring stories. Katie spent years working as an award-winning journalist at the Rocky Mountain News and at an online health policy news site before joining UCHealth in 2017. Katie and her husband, Cyrus \u2014 a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer \u2014 have three adult children and love spending time in the Colorado mountains and traveling around the world.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mccrimmonk\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":2123,"name":"Katie Kerwin McCrimmon","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/mccrimmonk\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2123"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68648"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75933,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68648\/revisions\/75933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}