CLEVELAND — In response to the continuing surge of patients due to COVID-19 and its variants, MetroHealth has announced that it is temporarily closing three of its area medical centers to best serve the needs of the public.
Starting Monday, December 27, MetroHealth will temporarily close the Rocky River, State Road (excluding physical therapy), and Medina Health Centers to accommodate staffing needs at other locations due to the COVID surge.
Patients with appointments at these sites are being referred to other locations or being offered telehealth options.
Effective on Wednesday, December 22, all visitors and patients at MetroHealth are required to wear masks at all times, even if fully vaccinated. Additionally, visitation hours have now been shifted to Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 11 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
Patients inside of MetroHealth facilities will also be limited to one visitor each day, aged 18 or older. New guidelines also state that visitors are not able to return to a hospital that day after leaving.
Last week, the MetroHealth System reported that it was experiencing "all-time high numbers for COVID-19 hospitalizations and test positivity" since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.
On Wednesday, the Ohio Department of Health reported 12,864 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, a single-day record since the start of the pandemic.
3News' Hope Sloop contributed to this story
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