Ashley Regional Medical Center issued a press release on Thursday urging the community to wear face masks or cloth face coverings in public areas to help stop the spread of COVID-19 where social distancing is difficult. “Ashley Regional Medical Center strongly encourages our community members to wear masks because each of us plays an important role in helping to keep our community safe and protect one another from the spread of infectious diseases,” shares Greg Gardiner, chief clinical officer at Ashley Regional. “One of the easiest and most effective ways we can look out for each other and aid in the fight against COVID-19 is to wear a face mask in public spaces right now. “Until there is a vaccine, wearing a mask in public, practicing social distancing and proper hand hygiene are our best lines of defense in reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our community. That’s why we’ve established a universal masking protocol in our facilities to help protect our patients, providers and employees, and we’re encouraging our fellow citizens to do the same in other public places. By looking out for each other, we’ll get through this together and continue making our community healthier.” Ashley Regional cited recent studies supporting universal masking to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, especially in individuals who may be asymptomatic and unaware that they are ill.
