Frye Regional Medical Center Updates Masking Requirements

HICKORY, NC (March 28, 2023) – Effective immediately, patients and visitors will be able to enter the main public areas of Frye Regional Medical Center, a Duke LifePoint hospital, without wearing a mask.

Masks will be optional for patients and visitors where no patient care is occurring, including outdoor areas and entrances. Employees will also have optional masking in staff areas of the hospital, including offices, workrooms and break rooms.

However, masking will continue for all patients, visitors and staff in all clinical areas, including inpatient care units, hallways in inpatient care units, patient rooms, clinic waiting rooms, and clinic examination rooms at the hospital and all outpatient care settings. Masks will also be required of anyone with a new respiratory symptom even if they tested negative for COVID-19.

Posted signs and masking stations will be moved to clinical areas to provide context and support masking expectations.

Several factors guided this decision:

• Community transmission remains moderate/substantial in most counties in North Carolina.
• Immunocompromised patients comprise a significant proportion of our total patient population and are interspersed throughout the hospital.
• Evidence shows masking reduces healthcare-associated COVID-19 clusters.
• Evidence shows masking reduces other respiratory viral infections and spread of emerging pathogens.

Masking rules may change if community transmission levels, regulatory guidance, and other factors require a return to partial or universal masking.