Samaritan Announces Mask-Optional in the Emergency Department and Long Term Care

Published on: May 10, 2024

Watertown, NY – As of May 10, 2024, the Emergency Department, Samaritan Keep Home, and Samaritan Summit Village, will return to mask-optional for all staff, patients, residents, and visitors under certain criteria. This decision comes after closely watching transmission levels of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses, declining COVID-19 infection rates, flu prevalence ending in New York State and other supporting indicators. If any of the metrics have an uptick, departments or facilities belonging to the Samaritan Health System could return to wearing facemasks.

Patients, residents, visitors, and/or healthcare personnel are to follow masking practices per unit/department when specifically indicated. For the health and safety of the community, we reserve the right to require any patient in any area who has signs or symptoms of respiratory illness or COVID-19 to wear a facemask as per Samaritan practices. 

Visitors who are not feeling well, have symptoms of fever, nausea/vomiting, or diarrhea, or have been in contact with anyone who tested positive for COVID-19 cannot visit patients or residents.

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