We, the undersigned, ask that UC Health and Children's Hospital follow the lead of Banner Health this winter season in ensuring the safety of all patients by providing and requiring high quality masks, to be worn by all staff at all times in patient areas, and by all patients who are able to wear a mask.

Colorado is currently experiencing a record-breaking flu season (see [1]), with a record 790 people hospitalized in one week in early January, surging past the previous all time record in one week of 582 from 2014. In addition, the pediatric population is getting hit particularly hard this season, with far too many children in the hospital or even dying from the flu.

On top of this, COVID-19 continues to circulate and is increasing in wastewater concentration around the state. Long COVID is shown by some studies to have now surpassed asthma as the leading chronic illness in children, and continues to affect more and more patients as reinfections continue around the state.

Both the flu and COVID are known to spread at least partially via the airborne route [2], floating through the air like cigarette smoke. Hospitals already have good fomite transmission prevention practices in place, but respirator masks (KN95 and N95 quality) are an essential tool for preventing airborne particles from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic hospital workers from infecting patients [3], and for helping prevent the airborne spread of disease from one patient to another.

It is imperative that hospitals serve as a safe place to access life-saving medical care, without patients having to worry that they will pick up a deadly or disabling infection at the hospital itself. Please consider reinstating mask mandates, especially during periods of high viral spread.

Sources:
[1] J. Daley, "Hundreds of Coloradans hospitalized with flu as numbers explode into record territory", , Dec 31, 2025, CPR news https://www.cpr.org/2025/12/31/colorado-hospitalizations-flu/
[2] N. Zhang, Y. Li, "Transmission of Influenza A in a Student Office Based on Realistic Person-to-Person Contact and Surface Touch Behaviour.", Int J Environ Res Public Health., 2018 Aug 9; 15(8):1699. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6121424/
[3] J. Lai et al., "Relative efficacy of masks and respirators as source control for viral aerosol shedding from people infected with SARS-CoV-2: a controlled human exhaled breath aerosol experimental study", eBioMedicine, Volume 104, 105157, https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(24)00192-0/fulltext