Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids is supporting Mayor Brad Hart’s emergency proclamation requiring masks in the city in an effort to prevent the increase of COVID-19 cases.
“Wearing a mask is a safe and effective way to reduce the spread of the virus and is consistent with public health agency recommendations,” Dr. Tony Myers, Mercy vice president of system quality, risk, and medical affairs, tells KCRG-TV 9. “We’ve seen successful compliance of this same standard within our own facilities and I’m hopeful it can be equally successful in Cedar Rapids.”
Hart's order is in line with CDC guidelines and follows along to Mercy’s mission to enhance the health of the community.
“We recognized early that this was an important strategy to mitigate transmission of a highly contagious virus, which is why we adopted the practice for all staff, patients, and visitors in our hospital and clinics,” Tim Charles, Mercy president & CEO tells KCRG-TV 9. “Face coverings are a simple practice to keep people healthy and, as a result, help keep our community open in a safe way.”
(Photo from KCRG-TV 9)