Guelph General Hospital says it is further tightening visitor rules due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the community and the Omicron variant.
As of Thursday, only one person can be designated as an essential visitor per patient.
Vice-president of patient services and chief nursing executive Melissa Skinner said the decision to tighten the rules was not made lightly.
“We know how important family members and loved ones are to the patient experience and to their care journey,” Skinner said in a statement on Tuesday.
“However, we have to be mindful of the risks associated with this new variant and take extra precautions to ensure our hospital remains as safe as possible.”
Those who can have a single visitor include emergency department patients, critically ill patients, in-patients over the age of 70, those whose stay is longer than five days, patients whose condition is deteriorating, paediatric patients, women in labour, those experiencing a mental health crisis and patients experiencing a pregnancy loss
“No one wanted to see a return to tighter restrictions, especially just days away from the Christmas holidays,” Skinner said.
“However, given the transmission risk of the Omicron variant and the rapid increase in community cases, it’s a necessary step to help ensure the safety of both patients and our staff.”