Mayo will give out surgical masks to visitors who don’t have them

Mayo Clinic is getting tougher on COVID-19 through its mask policy, because of the new surge of virus cases and hospitalizations.

All patients and visitors to Mayo facilities are being asked to wear surgical masks, and infectious disease specialist, Dr. John O’Horo, said some face coverings don’t measure up.

O’Horo also noted that people coming to Mayo will be offered the N-95 type of surgical mask when they arrive, if they’re not already wearing one.

“Neck gaiters have not performed well in several tests, as other types of masks,” O’Horo said, “and masks with exhalation valves have not been permitted on campus because of concern that they may not effectively contain COVID-19 if worn by an infected individual.”

Mayo said surgical-grade face masks do meet the system’s medical standards.

Also, O’Horo isn’t worried about the hospitals and clinics possibly running short on the supply of those masks. And, he noted Mayo will evaluate its mask policy, probably every week, as to see whether the rules can be relaxed in the near future.