The masks required are probably standard medical masks. Cloth face diapers and “bank robber” bandannas don’t cut it.

Nursing homes usually have the same requirements during flu season; they’ve done it for years. If there is an especially deadly strain of flu active, nursing homes may limit or bar visitors for the duration of the outbreak, and require staff to wear masks. The reasoning here is to protect those who are especially vulnerable to respiratory infections from those who may be contagious. The masks are intended to catch the wet droplets from a possibly infected person. They can’t be expected to keep the wearer from getting sick. Notice the acknowledgement that they aren’t perfect, “If you have symptoms of illness and are not a parent/legal guardian, please do not visit.”

This policy is more reasonable than the everyone mask everywhere demands we had during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s what should have been done for COVID-19 instead.