Our visiting guidelines have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and will be monitored/revised with any updates from the province or our local public health unit. We appreciate your understanding as we work to keep all of our patients, residents, physicians, staff, and community safe and healthy.
Visiting Guidelines
Orders and Directives
Please note that any Orders and Directives issued under relevant laws (e.g. Health Protection and Promotion Act, and Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act) take precedent over this policy.
Current Visitor Guidelines (as of July 15, 2021)
Emergency Department Guidelines
- One (1) dedicated visitor may accompany patients into the Emergency Department. The visitor must remain with the patient in their designated space and wear a medical mask.
- Visiting is allowed 24 hours a day.
In-Patient Department Guidelines
- Two (2) dedicated visitors per inpatient, only 1 visitor at a time.
- The 2 dedicated visitors may visit more than once throughout the day.
- Visiting hours are restricted to 10am – 8pm.
End of Life/Palliative/Critically Ill/Pediatric Guidelines
- This group of especially vulnerable patients will be allowed more than two (2) dedicated visitors. There may be more than 1 visitor at a time.
- Visiting is allowed 24 hours a day.
What You Need to Know for Your Visit
- Visitors must be over the age of 16. Although visitors to palliative patients will be considered on a case by case basis.
- Enter at the Emergency Department entrance, clean your hands with hand sanitizer, apply medical mask and answer screening questions honestly. Please be patient and wait for each question to be asked.
- You’ll be provided with a sticker to wear for the duration of your visit.
- You will be asked your full name and contact information. We are required to collect this information for contact tracing.
- If you do not have a medical grade mask, one will be provided.
- Food or drink must not be consumed while visiting. You may bring food/drink for the patient, as long as it does not require storage or heating and follows the patients plan of care. No homemade treats please. Please bring in a wipe-able closed container.
- Do not bring animals to visit, with exceptions for service animals.
- Check in with staff when you arrive to the unit. Stay in your loved one’s room when you visit. Do not visit other areas in the hospital. Once onsite we ask that you minimize the number of times you enter and leave the building.
- Maintain physical distance of 2 metres/6 feet or more from all hospital staff and patients.
- Sanitize your hands before entering and when leaving the patient’s room, as well as at other doorways and ‘high-touch’ surfaces. Sanitize your hands upon leaving the hospital.
- Upon exit of the unit, please sanitize hands, and remove your eye protection and discard of it into the “used bin” located at the screeners desk. Notify the Screener when you are leaving.
Please also remember that anyone who is feeling unwell – for any reason – should not visit. Only service animals are being permitted into HHHS at this time.
We continue to offer Virtual Visits (video calls), phone calls, and window visits to support patients and loved ones to stay connected.
If you have any questions regarding visiting, please contact the Nursing Station (phone number located on the right-hand side of this page).
Post COVID-19 Guidelines
Once the COVID-19 pandemic is over, HHHS plans to return to its regular visitor guidelines, including:
In-Patient Department visiting hours of 8 AM – 11 AM
Emergency Department visitors must check-in with the triage nurse before entering, and the maximum number of visitors is limited to one person. All visitors to the Emergency Department will be at the discretion of the nurse.
No person who is feeling sick or unwell should visit in-patients or the Emergency Department.