KITCHENER -- Grand River Hospital and St. Mary's General Hospital will no longer allow visitors in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The hospitals are expected to announce more details about the situation sometime in the next 48 hours.
The news was released in a joint statement from GRH President and CEO Ron Gagnon and St. Mary's President Lee Fairclough.
"None of us wants social distance to become isolating for patients," the statement reads in part.
"Our staff will do what they can to help patients and families connect virtually and by telephone."
The statement says that there will be limited exceptions to the rule. The policy change will be in effect for an undetermined period of time.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Memorial Hospital has announced it would be implementing a no-visitor policy of its own beginning on March 19.
That policy will exclude the following patients:
- Close relatives of a patient near end-of-life;
- Parents or guardians of a child patient under age 18;
- or a partner or support person of a woman giving birth.
"This decision was not made lightly. Reducing the number of visitors helps protect our staff, physicians and our most vulnerable hospitalized patients. Unless you are gravely ill and in need of emergency care or you have an appointment to an essential service, please stay home,” says Patrick Gaskin, CMH president and CEO, in a news release.
The hospital has also postponed non-urgent, elective surgeries for the time being.
Correction:
This is a corrected story. A statement from the hospitals suggested that the visitors would be stopped in the next 24 hours.
