WINDSOR, ONT. -- Windsor Regional Hospital, Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Erie Shores Healthcare are reinstituting a no visitor policy at all locations due to rapidly rising case rates for COVID-19 and active outbreaks at two campuses.
The policy became effective 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday.
“This difficult decision is intended as a precaution to keep patients, families and our health care teams safe as transmission rates rise and risk a crisis point for hospitals,” said a news release from WRH. “High patient volumes throughout the system and reduced bed capacity is challenging the entire regional health care system and we must do what we can to limit the opportunity for further spread of the COVID-19 virus.”
Limited exceptions to the no visitors policy are in place at each institution.
“Obviously if someone is near death, if someone is palliative if someone has other challenges there are some limited exceptions for one visitor to attend,” said WRH communications manager Steve Erwin. “A woman in labour for example.”
Erwin says when the hospital restricted visitors back in March it was because of the unknown. The latest restrictions are due to the second wave.
“Cases are rising,” he said. “We don’t know where this is headed at this point in terms of volume. We need to get ahead of this before it gets out of control.”
Residents are asked to refer to the following links for organization-specific policy exceptions and further information specific to each campus:
Windsor Regional Hospital: https://www.wrh.on.ca/COVID19-Visitation
Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare: https://www.hdgh.org/patientvisitation
Erie Shores Healthcare: https://www.erieshoreshealthcare.ca/ Click on ‘Current Visitor Policy’
Hospital officials said they appreciate residents’ understanding while they work to keep protect the community and keep the hospital system functioning.
- With files from CTV Windsor's Angelo Aversa
