Covenant Healthcare Reinstates Visitor Restrictions

Effective Today (Nov.5th) Covenant HealthCare has reinstated visitor restrictions citing an increase in COVID-19 cases and corresponding hospitalizations.

The healthcare system announced in a Facebook post and on its website that it will be suspending all routine visitation.

In a news release, officials said “We recognize that there are times when having a visitor or family member present is crucial. In these cases, only one healthy adult identified support person will be allowed per day.”

Visitors are asked to stay in the patient’s room, limit the visitation duration, and follow necessary mask and social distancing requirements.

Exceptions to visitor restrictions include:

· Obstetric patients may have one birth support person accompany them.

· Pediatric patients may have both parents/guardians accompany them, however, only one may spend the night.

· Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Both parents/guardians may accompany the patient, however, only one parent/guardian will be allowed in the NICU at a time with only one rotation per day.

· Critical Care: Patients in the critical care units may have one visitor who must remain in the room during the visit.

· Patients who are at the end-of-life may have a very limited number of visitors who must remain in the room during the visit.

· Patients with disruptive behavior, where a family member is key to their care, may have one visitor who must remain in the room during the visit.

· Patients who have altered mental status or developmental delays (where caregiver provides safety) may have one visitor who must stay in the room during the visit.

· Patients requiring a home caregiver to be trained must stay in the room during the visit.

· Adult patients undergoing surgery, or a procedure may have one visitor who must leave the medical center as soon as possible once the procedure/surgery begins. Contact information will be obtained from the support person and that person will be contacted to return to their loved one as recovery begins. Pediatric surgical patients may have two parents/guardians.

These exceptions only apply if a visitor screens negative for symptoms of COVID-19, and Covenant will not allow anyone under the age of 16 to visit the hospital except for extraordinary circumstances.