While you are here

Masking Guidelines at KHSC - Updated December 16 2025

Due to a significant rise in respiratory illness activity, mandatory masking is being reinstated in high-risk areas of KHSC. These measures aim to reduce transmission and protect patients, staff, and visitors.

We will continue to monitor test positivity, high-risk exposures, and outbreaks, and will adjust control measures when indicators return to baseline.

What You Need to Know
  • Effective immediately masking is required for everyone — staff, physicians, volunteers, visitors, and caregivers, when present on all inpatient units, in the Emergency Department (ED), the Urgent Care Centre (UCC), and the Children’s Outpatient Centre (COPC).
  • Patients should also wear a mask when leaving their bedspace.
  • Patients with respiratory illnesses and/or symptoms, must wear a mask when entering KHSC sites to help protect others.
  • Visitors with respiratory illnesses symptoms are asked to postpone their visit until they are feeling better.

Your safety and the safety of our patients, staff, and community remain our top priority. Thank you for your understanding and support.

 

General Information

We are partners in your care, that’s the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) way. By partnering with you and your family, we’ll work as a team to make sure you have the best possible experience. We believe that you and your family are important members of our team and we want to make sure your voice is heard. That’s why we include you in every decision about your care.  

As a patient or family member, you will notice a few things that we do to make sure that everyone who works, learns or volunteers at KHSC provides you with the same high standard of care

  1. Whiteboards have been placed in all inpatient rooms. These boards will make it easy for you, your family and the rest of your care team to communicate with one another. You should see a whiteboard near your bed and each section should be updated on a regular basis.
  2. Everyone who enters your room will wear an ID badge at chest level, with their name and position, so you always know with whom you are speaking.
  3. KHSC staff is trained in patient- and family-centred communications that helps us partner with you and your family to ensure you receive the respectful, compassionate care you need.
  4. We will perform hourly rounds to ensure that you are seen by a staff member at a minimum every hour. We will check on your comfort and safety. 

Family presence

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, our Family Presence policy has been adjusted for the health and safety of our patients and staff. You can find more information about these family presence and visitor restrictions here. 

Please refrain from smoking

Both the Hotel Dieu Hospital site and Kingston General Hospital site, as well as the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario are entirely smoke free, which means smoking is not permitted anywhere on hospital property. We have done this to protect everyone from exposure to secondhand smoke. 

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do to help you heal faster after treatment. Quitting smoking also reduces the chance of complications and developing further illness like cancer, respiratory illness and cardiac disease.