Alberta Health Services has announced a new "enhanced masking directive" to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The policy, which comes into effect Wednesday, will allow health zone leaders to require staff, doctors, midwives and others to wear masks in hospitals.

If the enhanced measures are implemented by AHS leadership, masking would also be required for patients, designated support persons and visitors in Emergency Departments in acute care facilities. A news release from AHS notes "no patient shall be denied services."

If masking is implemented, they will be required in patient care areas, elevators/staircases/hallways, common areas, gift shops, and cafeterias in acute care facilities.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta, says the measure can provide added protection during cold and flu season.

"The timing to implement masking is actually pretty appropriate, in my mind, because we have seen increasing transmission on a community basis," said Saxinger, adding that the pressure the pandemic put on hospitals is still ongoing.

Saxinger also says that this approach is new.

"This is a little bit of a different look from what has happened prior in terms of COVID management in AHS."

But Saxinger says the AHS masking directive still lacks some clarity — she would have preferred to see a blanket directive implemented in order to limit confusion, "especially for people who work at more than one site."

The news release states that decisions to implement enhanced masking "will be based on several factors which consider rate of hospitalizations, number of outbreaks, occupancy, test positivity, and situational context."

Craig Jenne, professor with the department of microbiology, immunology and infectious diseases at the University of Calgary, says he believes the new directive "really embraces some of the best healthcare practices we've seen over the last few years."

"We know that enhanced masking within healthcare centres, within other areas where there are at-risk patients does limit viral spread and does help prevent, or at least limit, outbreaks within these centres," said Jenne.

If masks are required, AHS will have signs in place at the facility.

AHS says masking will still be optional for staff in areas where they don't have contact with patients.

However, Jenne also expressed concerns about the new directive's approach.

"What's a little bit disappointing is we're not seeing clear guidance about when these protocols should be activated," he said, adding that guidelines and thresholds should be provided with new protocols.

Jenne says he's still concerned that continuing care facilities are not part of the new directives, and that the situation lacks "uniformity."

"Masking really works well when everyone is participating," said Jenne.

Alberta hospitals, treatment centres and long-term care facilities stopped requiring continuous masking in June.

As of Tuesday, there are 17 acute care facilities in the province with COVID-19 outbreaks in a least one unit.