As respiratory season winds down, a mask mandate in hospitals is being dropped but a COVID spring booster program is ramping up to strengthen waning protection for the most vulnerable.

“We are returning to the rules that were in place prior to respiratory illness season,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday on the suspension of the mask mandate, likely to be a seasonal requirement.

The B.C. Health Ministry says given the decreased rates of viral respiratory infections in the community, additional infection prevention and control measures implemented last fall in health-care settings — such as masks — are no longer required at all times.

People are still encouraged to wear masks in health-care settings as appropriate, and to continue to cover coughs and stay away from others when feeling sick.

Health-care workers will continue to wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including masks and respirators, in accordance with risk assessments.