February 9, 2022 – St. John’s, NL: Eastern Health advises the public of updates to visitor restrictions at facilities and sites across the region, as per provincial guidelines starting on Thursday, February 10, 2022.
Although health-care facilities remain closed for general visitation, two support persons are now permitted for each patient/resident, including for inpatients in a hospital setting and residents of long-term care homes, personal care homes, community care homes and assisted living facilities. Please note that some areas/units may not be able to accommodate two support persons at the same time due to the space available and the need to maintain physical distancing requirements. In these cases, clinical care teams will work with families to identify visitation options. Patients attending outpatient clinics and emergency departments can have one support person accompany them to hospital.
The general public are reminded not to visit any patients or residents during this time unless they are a designated support person for the patient/resident they are visiting.
Resident absences from homes/facilities:
Residents of long-term care homes, personal care homes, community care homes and assisted living facilities are now able to leave the home/facility under the following circumstances:
- essential shopping, banking and medical appointments;
- visit family at home; and,
- outings such as a drive or dinner.
It is recommended that, to the greatest extent possible, interactions in the community be limited to those on the residents’ list of visitors. It is also recommended that one designated household and its usual members be chosen for dinner outings. Residents are encouraged to follow guidance provided to the public regarding limiting interactions with large groups of people, wearing masks and follow infection prevention and control guidance.
Visitation/Support Person Guidelines:
- Palliative care and end-of-life visitation should be discussed with the health-care team.
- Pediatric in-patients are permitted to have both parents/guardians as support persons, who may be present in the facility at the same time.
- Labour and delivery patients may have one support person and one doula attend labour and delivery. Both support persons can continue to support the patient for the duration of the time in hospital and there are no restrictions on the number of visits per day.
- General: The two designated support persons for patients/residents can visit more than once per day and can be present at the same time if physical distancing requirements can be maintained in the space. Support persons are advised to connect with the patient/resident’s health-care team to discuss visitation hours and the frequency of visits. Visitation is subject to certain time frames and frequency in some sites/areas.
- Support persons must not visit any other patient/resident or staff and must go straight to the patient/resident room or visitation space. Once visitation is complete, support persons should immediately exit the facility.
- When possible, the two support people should be the same people for the duration of the visiting restrictions at the health-care facility. In the event the patient/resident has a stay exceeding two weeks, the support person can be changed every 14 days.
- Visitation can occur at sites where a COVID-19 outbreak has been declared, including visiting a COVID-19 positive patient/resident. In these circumstances, limited visitation can occur in consultation with the care team and personal protective equipment must be worn for the visit as per protocol. Visitation by support persons may be limited in areas of outbreak depending on the site circumstances and severity of the outbreak. Families will be advised in the event visitation is restricted.
- Support persons must follow all precautions as instructed by staff and physicians as well as COVID-19 safety protocols in place at health-care facilities.
- Virtual visitation can be an alternate way to connect with loved ones during these visitor restrictions. To arrange for a virtual visit, please discuss your request with the care team.
Important Reminders/Public Health Guidance:
- Vaccine Passport: Visitors to long-term care facilities, personal care homes and community care homes are required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination status and ID (digital/paper QR code or copy of an official vaccination record) or an approved medical exemption.
- Screening: All support persons/visitors must check-in upon arrival to the facility and be screened prior to the visit. Visits will only proceed for individuals who meet the screening criteria. Visitors/support persons are advised that if they show any signs or symptoms of COVID-19, they should not enter a health-care facility. Instead, individuals are directed to complete the COVID-19 self-assessment and testing referral tool or call 811.
- Masking Requirements: Masks are mandatory at all Eastern Health facilities, sites and clinics. The mask provided at point of entry must be worn throughout the duration of the individual’s time in our hospitals and other health-care facilities, including while visiting patient/resident rooms.
- Physical Distancing: Physical distancing (two metres/six feet) is required in all spaces throughout our hospitals or sites, including common areas, such as cafeterias, as well as patient and resident rooms.
- Out-patient appointments and Emergency Department patients: Patients who are accompanied by a support person should be aware that during peak times, support persons who have remained in the waiting area may be asked to wait outside the facility, if possible, to ensure adequate space is available in the waiting area for patients. The clinical care team will accommodate one support person in the treatment area when requested by the patient and if sufficient space is available to do so safely.
Additional information regarding current visitation guidelines can be found on the ‘Visiting during the COVID-19 pandemic’ webpage via https://www.easternhealth.ca/covid19/visiting-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/.
Visitor restrictions during the pandemic have been critically important to the safety of our residents, patients, staff and physicians. We would like to thank the public for their understanding and co-operation during this time.
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