Officials at Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are monitoring a COVID-19 outbreak among patients and staff members.
The hospital did not disclose how many individuals were affected, but said the outbreak was contained to a single unit.
"We promptly isolated the patients and thereafter initiated universal masking on the affected unit in accordance with infection control protocols," a spokesperson for BIDMC told Becker's June 26. "We continue to closely monitor this situation and will adjust this plan going forward as needed, and have reported the cluster to the Department of Public Health and Boston Public Health Commission."
Many hospitals and health systems nationwide sunsetted universal masking rules this spring amid declining COVID-19 activity. The CDC loosened masking recommendations for healthcare workers last September, saying facilities in areas without high transmission can decide whether to require them.