CLEWISTON — Effective immediately, Hendry Regional Medical Center (HRMC) is requiring all individuals who enter the hospital or the clinics to wear a cloth mask. In an effort to conserve all personal protection equipment (PPE) for our front-line workers, HRMC will NOT be able to provide individuals with masks for entry.

This change is in accordance with the CDC recommendation of using cloth face coverings in public to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. It is critical to emphasize that maintaining 6-footet social distancing while in public remains important to slowing the spread of the virus.

The CDC is additionally advising the use of simple cloth face coverings to slow the spread of the virus and help people who may have the virus and do not know it from transmitting it to others. Cloth face coverings can be fashioned from household items or made at home from common materials at low cost.

The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators. Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders.

Help stop the spread of COVID-19 in our community by wearing a cloth face mask in public.