CLEVELAND — Editor's note: Video at the top of this story was originally published on Dec. 3, 2021.
With the holiday season approaching amid ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the Cleveland Clinic has announced an update to their visitation policy that impacts all of their Ohio locations effective Tuesday, Dec. 7.
The changes include:
- One visitor (age 18+) per day will be allowed for patients in the Emergency Department.
- One visitor (age 18+) per day will be allowed for all inpatients. The visitor may be different each day. Inpatients will no longer designate one person to visit them throughout their entire hospital stay.
- Visitors to inpatients can only enter the building once each day. Visitors cannot leave the building and then return for a separate visit later that same day. A different visitor can only replace them the following day.
- Visitors who have tested positive for COVID-19 are permitted to visit a patient if it has been at least 10 days since testing positive.
- If a visitor has been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19: If they are not fully vaccinated, they can visit a patient 14 days after exposure. If they are vaccinated and asymptomatic, they can visit a patient with proof of vaccination.
Visitation hours remain 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. All visitors must be at least 18 years old, wear a mask at all times, pass a COVID-19 health screening and sanitize their hands upon arrival.
“Visiting with loved ones is important to our patients, especially during the holiday season,” Cleveland Clinic officials said in a press release. “While we continue to manage high numbers of patients in our facilities, we have protocols in place that allow more individuals to visit, while still protecting our patients and caregivers.”
You can see the Cleveland Clinic’s full visitation policy HERE.
Last week, the Cleveland Clinic released a joint statement with MetroHealth and University Hospitals to address the rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations.
“As we continue to navigate the pandemic and adjust to the changing healthcare needs of our patients, our health systems are seeing unprecedented demand for inpatient care across our facilities,” according to the joint statement. “This has led to our hospitals reaching nearly full capacity at many locations. Our organizations are experiencing a significant increase in unvaccinated patients being hospitalized because of COVID-19.”
As a result, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and University Hospitals are all voluntarily making adjustments to the scheduling of non-urgent surgeries at certain locations. See the changes at each location HERE.