Local hospitals imposing stricter visiting rules in face of Omicron

Guelph — Guelph General Hospital has implemented stricter visiting rules that start Thursday, Dec. 23.

In an announcement made on Tuesday, officials said only “one person can be designated as an essential visitor per patient for the duration of their stay.”

Guelph General Hospital provided the criteria to be a designated as an essential visitor.

“No one wanted to see a return to tighter restrictions, especially just days away from the Christmas holidays,” said Melissa Skinner, VP patients services and chief nursing executive at Guelph General Hospital in a news release . “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.”

A spokesperson at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener said they suspended their volunteer program effective Wednesday.

The hospital has also restricted the number of patient care partners to two, with only one able to visit for a maximum of two hours.

Meanwhile, Cambridge Memorial Hospital has also shut down its volunteer program, but it is keeping its current visitor policy.

However, a spokesperson for Cambridge Memorial hospital said the visitor policy is reviewed on a weekly basis.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Grand River Hospital in Kitchener said management was meeting to review visitor policies and no final decision has been made yet.