St. Mary’s General Hospital announces new visitor restrictions

St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener is taking further steps to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

As of Tuesday, patients receiving treatment at the hospital will now be allowed only one care partner for the duration of their stay.

The person identified as the care partner can also only visit for a maximum of one hour per day.

Previously, the hospital was allowing each patient to have two care partners.

“This is one of the hardest decisions to make as we know that caregiver presence at the bedside benefits the well-being and recovery of patients,” St. Mary's President Lee Fairclough said in a release. “These restrictions are intended to be temporary. Not only do we need to limit traffic inside the building, and reduce the risk of transmission to staff and patients, we must also limit the potential risk for Care Partners to be exposed to COVID-19 while at the hospital,” she added.

The new restrictions are as follows:

• Inpatients can now identify only one Care Partner for the duration of the admission. Those Care Partners can visit for a maximum of one hour per day. Previously, inpatients could identify up to two Care Partners for the duration of the admission, with only one in the building at a time.

• Opportunities for patients to have virtual visits with their loved ones will be enhanced.

• These restrictions do not apply when patients are at end of life or when the care team deems that a visit by a Care Partner would result in a marked improvement in the patient’s condition.

• Care Partners are also asked to not eat and drink anywhere inside the hospital as an added precaution.

• Screeners at entrances will have a list of who have been identified by patients as their Care Partner and document when visit has occurred. Care Partners not on the list will be declined entry.

• As per our communication related to outbreaks, Care Partner visits are suspended to outbreak units except on a compassionate basis.

Similar restrictions will be coming to Emergency Department and Ambulatory Care later in the week.

St. Mary's is currently dealing with COVID outbreaks in its chest unit (sixth floor), and on the fifth floor.