The West Nipissing General Hospital is now restricting visitors from hot spot regions.
The hospital states the act is a prudent one to protect patients and staff as well as stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Hospital President and CEO Cynthia Desormiers says this is a proactive measure, and with the cold weather now only allowing for indoor visiting, they are being cautious.
“It was a difficult decision that was made as we balance the patients’ needs with the need to keep them & staff safe. It is about containment and stopping the spread,” she said. “We restricted visitors from the red zones or hot spots as they are being referred to as they are showing a higher than average rate of transmission. These four areas of Peel, York, Toronto and Ottawa are now in modified Stage 2 of the COVID-19 planning which reflect closures and modifications to indoor activities which pose a higher risk of personal contact.  With the cold weather upon us and only being able to offer indoor visiting we wanted to err on the side of caution. The Chief Medical Officer of health noted that people in the hot zones should limit trips outside of their areas, and limit travel to other regions in the province especially going from a high transmission to a lower transmission area.
She adds that this may affect patients and are now offering virtual visits with tablets so family members can “see” and chat with their loved ones.
Desormiers notes that on a weekly basis, the WNGH evaluates what is going on in the province and our district to ensure their measures are adequate to keep everyone safe.