Major healthcare providers, hospitals will continue to require masks Major healthcare providers, hospitals will continue to require masks For local officials to be able to take action, COVID hospitalizations must be above 15 percent for seven days straight. AUSTIN, Texas - It’s been a daily struggle for doctors and nurses over the past 12 months. "The sheer number of patients, the amount of deaths that our nurses have seen over the last year and especially in the winter time, it’s enough to cause a great degree of burnout and even PTS for nurses," said Serena Bumpus, director of practice with the Texas Nurses Association.