Masks Required Again At Cooperman Barnabas Hospitals, Including In Livingston

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Mask mandates have returned to all Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health facilities, including Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston.

The updated policy, in effect as of Oct. 2, is here.

As happens each year around this time, cases of COVID are rising as the weather gets colder and more adults and students are indoors, and scientists have given updates on new subvariants.

More than 1.1 million Americans have died from the virus, the majority during its first year.

At the height of the covid spread, 460 people died in New Jersey in one day on April 30, 2020, many who got sick just before lockdowns.

Today, 521 people are in New Jersey hospitals who have tested positive for covid, but fewer than 10 percent, a total of 15 people, are currently on ventilators to help them breathe. For comparison, in April 2020, the hospitals and officials reported 1,200 patients on ventilators.

Follow the numbers here.

Masks are meant to curtail the spread of the virus, particularly to keep it from spreading to those most vulnerable.

20 million doses of the COVID vaccine have been given in New Jersey, with 79 percent of residents having been fully vaccinated at one point.

"In response to the steady increase in respiratory illness and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the state, RWJBarnabas Health announces it will implement masking protocols at all RWJ Barnabas Health hospitals and facilities starting October 2, 2023," said spokesperson Heather Dickerson in a release on Friday.

RWJBarnabas joins Hackensack Meridian Health, which began requiring all patients, visitors and staff to wear masks at four of its hospitals in the last week.

They say that to reduce the spread of infection among caregivers, patients, staff, and others:

• Inpatients: All inpatients, who are able to, will be required to wear a face mask when leaving their room and can also choose to wear a mask at any time.
• Outpatients: Face masks must be worn at all times when at an RWJBarnabas Health facility.
• Staff: Face masks must be worn when providing direct care to patients at all RWJBarnabas Health locations. All staff can also choose to wear a mask at any time.
• Visitors, volunteers, and vendors: Face masks must be worn at all times when in the presence of patients at all RWJBarnabas Health facilities.

The hospital group said that visitors should defer their visitation to another day if:

1. You have a fever or have felt feverish in the last 24 hours or are experiencing COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms. Possible symptoms include, but are not limited to:
2. Fever or chills
3. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
4. Muscle or body aches
5. New loss of taste or smell
6. Congestion or runny nose
7. Diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
8. Cough or sore throat
9. Fatigue
10. Headache
11. If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or another contagious respiratory illness, such as influenza or RSV, within the last 10 days
12. If you have had contact with someone with a COVID-19 infection, or another contagious respiratory illness, in the last 10 days and cannot wear a mask.

What About Vaccine Mandates?

While not mandatory, RWJBarnabas Health is encouraging all staff and patients six months or older to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as the Centersfor Disease Control and Prevention recommends.

See the new visitor policy here.

For updates on visitation policies and guidelines visit: rwjbh.org/patients-visitors/what-you-need-to-know-about-covid-19/general-visitation-guidelines.

Patch Editor Alexis Tarrazi contributed to this report.