UHS adopts new mask policy

BINGHAMTON (WBNG) -- UHS, or United Health Services, is requiring all guests and patients to wear a mask again.

The organization said it’s requiring mask-wearing because of an uptick in COVID-19 cases. The move comes as a reminder that the pandemic has yet to be officially declared over by the World Health Organization, which initially labeled the fast-moving virus as a pandemic in March 2020.

The measure affects UHS Wilson Medical Center, UHS Binghamton General Hospital, UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital and UHS Delaware Valley Hospital. You will need to wear a mask in all common spaces but masks are optional in non-clinical facing facilities where there is no patient facing.

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, or CDC, suggested that high-risk individuals should wear a mask due to an uptick in COVID hospitalizations.

Yet, as of Aug. 12, the CDC reported Broome, Tioga, Chenango and Delaware counties all have a low level of COVID-related hospital admissions. In New York State, only Albany and Rensselaer counties have a medium level.

There is no county in the country that is facing a high level as of Aug. 12.

More information about UHS’s policy can be found by following this link.

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