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Trinity Health requires face coverings, eases visitation guidelines

Effective on June 1, all individuals who enter a Trinity Health facility must wear a mask or other face covering. Trinity Health is also easing up on its policy about allowing visitors. With the change, only one visitor can accompany a patient in a clinic or a hospital, as long as they don’t show any signs of having COVID-19.

The amended mask and visitor policies apply to Trinity facilities in Minot, Belcourt, Devils Lake, Garrison, Kenmare, Mohall, New Town, Velva and Williston.

Those changes do not apply to Trinity Homes, as that facility receives its orders from the state.

In a press release, the vice president of Trinity, Randy Schwan, said, “Restricting visitation has been critical to reducing spread of the virus, but the resulting lack of contact with loved ones is difficult for patients. Support from family is important to a patient’s overall care, so we are doing everything we can to safely permit visitors in our hospitals and clinics. Mandatory masking of everyone allows us to take that step.”

The mask requirement was put in place based on the direction of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), saying that cloth masks can slow the spread of the virus from those who have COVID-19 but aren’t showing any outward symptoms. Anyone entering a Trinity facility must bring their own mask. But if they do not have one, Trinity will provide one to them.

The CDC advised that children under the age of two years should not wear a mask. That also goes for those who have difficulty breathing, are unconscious or otherwise incapacitated.

For more information about making masks and how to wear them properly visit cdc.gov.

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