Mask guidance when visiting Mayo Clinic

Posted by Laurie, Volunteer Mentor @roch, Dec 30, 2021

FYI - If you have future visit to Mayo, they have updated their mask policy.

You are now required to wear surgical/procedural, N-95 or KN-95 mask. Surgical mask are the disposal mask. No cloth mask, mask with exhalation valves, gaiters, or bandanas.

But do not worry, if you do not have a surgical mask, they will provide one during screening at hospital / clinic entrances.

See news announcement: Dec 29, 2021
https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-asks-all-patients-and-visitors-to-wear-surgical-procedural-masks/
Laurie

++++UPDATED++++
Note from the Community Director

Mayo Clinic regularly updates their information about COVID safety protocols. As you prepare to come to Mayo Clinic, check these sites:

- Visiting Mayo Clinic safely during the COVID-19 pandemic https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/visiting-mayo-clinic-safely
- Acceptable masks at Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Visiting Mayo Clinic Support Group.

Hi @berdyaev11 For the safety of patients, visitors and staff, Mayo Clinic continues to enforce the masking policy on all its campuses. This is the current masking policy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

From my understanding, there is no plan at this time for Mayo to change their guidelines. Masking is proven to cut down on the transmission of aerosol contamination, thereby diminishing the spread of the disease.

I worked in a dental office 30+ during my entire career, wearing a mask 8 hours a day. I’m also a cancer and bone marrow transplant survivor and still rely on my mask daily in public places. I can tell you the wearing of face masks greatly cut transmission of diseases, they don’t in any way compromise someone’s immune system and they are not harmful. I really don’t understand why people have such an aversion to such a simple means of avoiding infections.

Here is a link to current Covid guidelines for Mayo Clinic. For the safety of patients, visitors and staff, Mayo Clinic continues to enforce the masking policy on all its campuses. This is the current masking policy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

Here is a link to current Covid guidelines for Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19
Will you be visiting one of their campuses for medical care soon?

REPLY
@loribmt

Hi @berdyaev11 For the safety of patients, visitors and staff, Mayo Clinic continues to enforce the masking policy on all its campuses. This is the current masking policy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

From my understanding, there is no plan at this time for Mayo to change their guidelines. Masking is proven to cut down on the transmission of aerosol contamination, thereby diminishing the spread of the disease.

I worked in a dental office 30+ during my entire career, wearing a mask 8 hours a day. I’m also a cancer and bone marrow transplant survivor and still rely on my mask daily in public places. I can tell you the wearing of face masks greatly cut transmission of diseases, they don’t in any way compromise someone’s immune system and they are not harmful. I really don’t understand why people have such an aversion to such a simple means of avoiding infections.

Here is a link to current Covid guidelines for Mayo Clinic. For the safety of patients, visitors and staff, Mayo Clinic continues to enforce the masking policy on all its campuses. This is the current masking policy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

Here is a link to current Covid guidelines for Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19
Will you be visiting one of their campuses for medical care soon?

Jump to this post

Hi @berdyaev11 I would like to add something I feel is used a lot by these studies. I am 62 and a product of a Generation that taught us to Wash our hands often particularly after using the rest room and before eating, cover our cough (Mask) and stay home when your sick (social Distance). 3 basic hygiene things that were drilled into my head growing up. Yes no mask is 100 % effective but it's an additional layer. I too am a Transplant recipient and have been wearing a mask now 4 years since my transplant and will continue to and honestly yes I have gotten sick with a common cold but rarely and haven't had the flu in many years so it does seem to help. So I too will continue to wear one in public places. I have done all the personal testing also that it doesn't affect my Oxygen saturation so I also believe that's a bitnof a misleading claim.

REPLY

I feel patients who go to Mayo are going there for significant reasons. We clearly are doing everything to get better and survive. Why not celebrate how Mayo makes the effort to keep us safe? I have been to Mayo Jacksonville about 5 times in the last 2 months, very few people complain. Yes, there are a few but most people I feel appreciate the efforts. The science is there to back the efforts up. Doctors, nurses, practically anyone in medicine has worn masks for years, as a patient and a nurse myself it was never questioned until recently. When we go into a cancer patients room who is immune compromised we wear masks, it’s not to keep us as nurses from getting cancer it’s to keep our germs from possibly making the cancer patient deathly sick. So we all need to work together- especially at a place, like Mayo, where people with all problems are seeking treatment to help take care of each other.

REPLY
@jeanern01

I feel patients who go to Mayo are going there for significant reasons. We clearly are doing everything to get better and survive. Why not celebrate how Mayo makes the effort to keep us safe? I have been to Mayo Jacksonville about 5 times in the last 2 months, very few people complain. Yes, there are a few but most people I feel appreciate the efforts. The science is there to back the efforts up. Doctors, nurses, practically anyone in medicine has worn masks for years, as a patient and a nurse myself it was never questioned until recently. When we go into a cancer patients room who is immune compromised we wear masks, it’s not to keep us as nurses from getting cancer it’s to keep our germs from possibly making the cancer patient deathly sick. So we all need to work together- especially at a place, like Mayo, where people with all problems are seeking treatment to help take care of each other.

Jump to this post

I think I understand what you are saying. It sounds like what you are saying is that you don't hear anyone complaining about masks and you feel that the evidence that you have heard about supports masks. Is that right? It also sounds like you feel that patients or at least the majority of them feel better with masks.

REPLY

I am a medical researcher, and was involved in mask recommendations way back when the AIDS conditions came up. We did extensive testing, an we know that properly worn masks will reduce transmission of fluid and air borne infections.
One of the aspects of mask wearing is that the person, who wears a mask, cannot contaminate the air when sneezing, coughing or speaking, because the saliva droplets emitted will be caught by the mask, and not emitted into the air.
During medical procedures, we wear a mask to protect the patient, and not to protect us from the patient, and because of this masks that individuals wear are there to protect others, not the individuals.
All those studies are flawed (who paid for them??????), and looked at the aspects of the mask wearer and not at the protection others receive from the mask that others wear!

REPLY
@danab

Hi @berdyaev11 I would like to add something I feel is used a lot by these studies. I am 62 and a product of a Generation that taught us to Wash our hands often particularly after using the rest room and before eating, cover our cough (Mask) and stay home when your sick (social Distance). 3 basic hygiene things that were drilled into my head growing up. Yes no mask is 100 % effective but it's an additional layer. I too am a Transplant recipient and have been wearing a mask now 4 years since my transplant and will continue to and honestly yes I have gotten sick with a common cold but rarely and haven't had the flu in many years so it does seem to help. So I too will continue to wear one in public places. I have done all the personal testing also that it doesn't affect my Oxygen saturation so I also believe that's a bitnof a misleading claim.

Jump to this post

Hi, so it sounds like what you are saying is that when you were growing up it was important to cover your coughs and you feel as though masks are the new "handkerchief" in a way. Also, it sounds like you guess that you are not getting sick because you wear a mask. Am I hearing you correctly. Please know that I was not saying anything in my comment about oxygen, I was simply pointing to studies (randomized control trials--the highest quality of studies) that show that masks are ineffective. I was not saying anything about oxygen. I am confused as to why you might have heard me saying that. God bless.

Editor's Note:
The studies cited support the use of masks in reducing the spread of COVID infection.

REPLY
@lindes

I am a medical researcher, and was involved in mask recommendations way back when the AIDS conditions came up. We did extensive testing, an we know that properly worn masks will reduce transmission of fluid and air borne infections.
One of the aspects of mask wearing is that the person, who wears a mask, cannot contaminate the air when sneezing, coughing or speaking, because the saliva droplets emitted will be caught by the mask, and not emitted into the air.
During medical procedures, we wear a mask to protect the patient, and not to protect us from the patient, and because of this masks that individuals wear are there to protect others, not the individuals.
All those studies are flawed (who paid for them??????), and looked at the aspects of the mask wearer and not at the protection others receive from the mask that others wear!

Jump to this post

Have you read DANmask and Bangladesh. I have. Both studies fail to show masks to be effective. DANmask and Bangladesh show that they are not effective at stopping infection. This is particularly seen with reference to cloth masks. Bangladesh showed that people over age 50 have an 11% benefit but this result (according to the researchers) was confounded by the test limitations (self-reporting, the way the trial was promoted etc.).. We also know that over 14 randomized control trials fail to show masks to be effective at stopping either spread or infection (Aiello, 2010, Aiello, 2012, Barasheed, 2014, Cowling, 2008, Larson 2010 etc. etc.) Moreover, viruses are airborne so the particulates waft through the air via Brownian motion. The particulates caught by the mask eventually dry and fall and waft. Masks only stop bits of lunch from the surgeon from falling into an open wound. As you know doctors and nurses do not regularly wear masks and in fact, Canadian nurses sued (pre-covid) and won the right to not wear masks. They proved their case to the satisfaction of the courts. Here's my point: the data is just not there to support masks and the sooner we recognize that mask are talismans and investigate why we bought into them, the better. The truth sets us free. And we need truth very much right now. Truth and wisdom.

REPLY
@loribmt

Hi @berdyaev11 For the safety of patients, visitors and staff, Mayo Clinic continues to enforce the masking policy on all its campuses. This is the current masking policy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

From my understanding, there is no plan at this time for Mayo to change their guidelines. Masking is proven to cut down on the transmission of aerosol contamination, thereby diminishing the spread of the disease.

I worked in a dental office 30+ during my entire career, wearing a mask 8 hours a day. I’m also a cancer and bone marrow transplant survivor and still rely on my mask daily in public places. I can tell you the wearing of face masks greatly cut transmission of diseases, they don’t in any way compromise someone’s immune system and they are not harmful. I really don’t understand why people have such an aversion to such a simple means of avoiding infections.

Here is a link to current Covid guidelines for Mayo Clinic. For the safety of patients, visitors and staff, Mayo Clinic continues to enforce the masking policy on all its campuses. This is the current masking policy. https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/preparing-for-your-visit/covid-19-acceptable-face-masks

Here is a link to current Covid guidelines for Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19
Will you be visiting one of their campuses for medical care soon?

Jump to this post

P.S. I thank you for your comment. I did want to add to my original reply. I was not saying anything about oxygen levels. I was speaking to the RCTs that have been done post-covid on masks. I am kind of confused as to how you heard me saying anything about oxygen. Can you help me with that? Thank you and God bless.

REPLY

Hi, thanks for your reply. I kind have to stop you here a bit. I am fine with debating but the thing is when I "hear" someone say "folks like you" it really hurts my feelings and makes me feel bad. Can you understand how that might be? It looks like you have said some nice things to in your post too but it's hard to hear the nice stuff when I hear "folks like you." Again, it really hurts my feelings. The place I want to get to is that there are people who can't wear masks or have reasons of conscience for not wearing masks and it hasn't been easy for those people either. You are saying that you feel bad too for wearing a mask. I can understand that.

REPLY
@berdyaev11

Have you read DANmask and Bangladesh. I have. Both studies fail to show masks to be effective. DANmask and Bangladesh show that they are not effective at stopping infection. This is particularly seen with reference to cloth masks. Bangladesh showed that people over age 50 have an 11% benefit but this result (according to the researchers) was confounded by the test limitations (self-reporting, the way the trial was promoted etc.).. We also know that over 14 randomized control trials fail to show masks to be effective at stopping either spread or infection (Aiello, 2010, Aiello, 2012, Barasheed, 2014, Cowling, 2008, Larson 2010 etc. etc.) Moreover, viruses are airborne so the particulates waft through the air via Brownian motion. The particulates caught by the mask eventually dry and fall and waft. Masks only stop bits of lunch from the surgeon from falling into an open wound. As you know doctors and nurses do not regularly wear masks and in fact, Canadian nurses sued (pre-covid) and won the right to not wear masks. They proved their case to the satisfaction of the courts. Here's my point: the data is just not there to support masks and the sooner we recognize that mask are talismans and investigate why we bought into them, the better. The truth sets us free. And we need truth very much right now. Truth and wisdom.

Jump to this post

Again, masks are not meant to protect me from others (unless I wear a respirator), but others from me. Any self reporting study is cute, but has no scientific value.
Also, please remember, many of the Mayo patients are 50 and older, and go there because they have health problems, and if we can prevent 11% of them to get more serious infections that might be deadly for them, we should do everything, including wearing masks!

REPLY
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