UPMC said it's bringing back masks to try and curb the spread of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, the flu and RSV. Patients, visitors, support persons and staff will be requir

UPMC is recommending, not requiring masks at its hospitals and outpatient facilities — which is a change from guidance issued earlier this week.

After posting to social media that masking would be required, UPMC redacted its statement and said no mask mandate will go into effect.

Two days after issuing a mask mandate for its facilities, UPMC has softened its language stating masks are recommended, not required. On Monday, UPMC issued a statement that masks would be required for people in all its facilities in an attempt to curb the spread of respiratory viruses.

Citing “substantial levels of respiratory illness,” UPMC is requiring people to wear masks at all of its hospitals, including Washington and Greene, and health care offices starting Wednesday. UPMC said it is bringing back masks to help curb the spread of respiratory viruses,

PITTSBURGH — UPMC said that it will soon require all patients, visitors, support persons and staff to wear masks in its patient care areas due to a rise in respiratory illnesses. Masks will be required in all UPMC hospitals and outpatient areas starting on Feb. 12, according to a Facebook post on the Children’s Community Pediatrics page.

The UPMC health system, which announced this week that facemasks would be required at all of its facilities starting today, has now said that the requirement announcement was a “miscommunication.”