Coronavirus: new mask guidelines rankle union as Hospital Authority urges longer use amid citywide shortage
- Employees alliance argue the authority is making its case by selectively highlighting Centres for Disease Control recommendations
- Public Doctors Association chairwoman cautions that timing is poor for another union-authority row
Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority has issued new guidelines on mask usage amid the citywide shortage, citing Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) standards in encouraging staff to change protective gear such as the N95 respirator less frequently, a move that has met with mixed reaction among health care professionals.
In a statement on Thursday, the Hospital Authority Employees Alliance, which recently led a five-day strike aimed at forcing a complete border closure, slammed the changes as potentially dangerous for frontline health care workers, saying the mask shortage would be better alleviated by putting non-emergency services on hold while the coronavirus outbreak remains ongoing.
The new guidelines, issued on Wednesday by the authority’s chief infection control officer, urged “prudent use” of personal protective equipment.
“It is suggested extending the use of N95 respirators for multiple patients during serial patient encounters without removing or re-donning between encounters … unless it is damaged or soiled,” the guidelines read.
We are not asking staff to waste the masks or equipment. But the authority guideline is so unclear and misleading that some staff could feel pressure and avoid changing equipment
The N95, a disposable mask that can guard against hazardous substances, was widely used during the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in 2003 that killed 299 people in the city.