{"id":73113,"date":"2023-05-30T17:13:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T17:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/05\/30\/veterans-affairs-medical-sites-drop-mandatory-mask-requirements\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:42:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:42:34","slug":"veterans-affairs-medical-sites-drop-mandatory-mask-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/veterans\/2023\/05\/30\/veterans-affairs-medical-sites-drop-mandatory-mask-requirements\/","title":{"rendered":"Veterans Affairs medical sites drop mandatory mask requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/management\/2023\/05\/26\/va-move-to-curb-remote-work-puts-all-federal-workers-on-notice\/\" target=\"_blank\">Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a> on Tuesday relaxed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/2023\/03\/03\/veterans-affairs-drops-mask-requirement-for-all-agency-medical-offices\/\" target=\"_blank\">mandatory masking requirements<\/a> at medical facilities across the country, dropping one of the final vestiges of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/coronavirus\/\" target=\"_blank\">coronavirus pandemic<\/a> of the last three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move means thousands of daily visitors to VA\u2019s 170 medical centers and hundreds of other outpatient clinics will no longer be required to wear a mask for entry, except in limited circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The announcement came almost three months after VA leaders relaxed mask requirements for non-medical facilities, and almost three weeks after the national emergency related to the COVID-19 pandemic in America was officially ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/coronavirus\/2023\/03\/03\/veterans-affairs-drops-mask-requirement-for-all-agency-medical-offices\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20083465821430.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Veterans Affairs drops mask requirement for all agency medical offices<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Masks will still be mandated for some high-risk areas or facilities with rising virus numbers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/it-networks\/health-it\/2023\/02\/22\/dept-of-veterans-affairs-ahead-of-health-care-staffing-goals-for-now\/\" target=\"_blank\">VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal<\/a> said the move was made \u201cto reflect our new reality\u201d in the post-pandemic era. \u201cExcept for the highest-risk areas and situations, masking will be greatly relaxed for veterans and clinicians at VA health care facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new rule applies to both visitors and staff. Individuals with COVID-19 infections or suspected to be infected will still be required to wear a mask upon entering the medical facilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the new policy, facility leaders can require mask wearing based on local health conditions. Patients can also request that staffers wear a mask if they so choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Masks will continue to be required for staff, veterans, and visitors in \u201chigh-risk\u201d areas, such as transplant units, emergency and urgent care, chemotherapy units and certain community living centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/veterans\/2023\/05\/26\/va-move-to-curb-remote-work-puts-all-federal-workers-on-notice\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP23139601855119.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">VA move to curb remote work puts all federal workers on notice<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Decisions on new federal policies for off-site work could upend the pandemic adjustments made by millions of workers.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of Monday evening, there were 1,998 active cases of coronavirus among patients spread across 130 medical centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since March 2020, more than 874,856 patients linked to VA health centers have contracted COVID-19. Of those, 24,679 have died from complications related to the illness, a rate of about 21 per day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, those cases have dropped significantly over the last year. Since January 1, the department has recorded about 49,000 new cases and 940 deaths, a rate of less than seven per day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Visitors and patients will no longer be required to wear masks at all times at the health care 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