Simon O’Connor / Stuff
Visitors to Taranaki hospitals must wear a mask or they will be refused entry.
Taranaki health chiefs suspect Covid was taken to New Plymouth Base Hospital when a visitor took off his mask.
According to the institutions of the Orange Traffic Light of the Ministry of Health, visitors to hospitals and care institutions are obliged to wear masks.
“Our team has a high suspicion that Covid-19 was previously introduced by a hospital visitor by removing their mask when visiting a patient,” said Dr. Greg Simmons, chief medical adviser to Te Whatu Ora Taranaki.
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As a result, Te Whatu Ora Taranaki will maintain a strict hospital policy with no masks and no access, Simmons said.
Healthcare Security Operations Manager for Te Whatu Ora Taranaki, Matt Green, said that if visitors remove their masks while visiting patients, they will be asked by department staff to put their masks back on.
“If the visitor refuses to put their mask back on, the ward staff will call security and we will ask them to leave the hospital.”