PROVIDENCE – Tighter visitor restrictions have been implemented at Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital in response to rising COVID-19 hospitalizations due to the delta variant.
The new restrictions announced by CharterCARE Health Partners include a limitation on the number of visitors allowed for each patient admitted to the hospital, as well as the number of individuals that may escort a patient into the hospitals’ emergency rooms.
The health care organizations said that only one visitor may accompany a patient to the emergency department, and that only one visitor at a time is allowed per patient in the hospitals’ medical, surgical and behavioral health units.
The changes took effect Aug. 27.
The health group also noted that all existing COVID-19 safety protocols, including required masking, screening and social distancing also remain in place. The group also restated its policy that no visitors will be allowed for COVID-19 patients unless authorized in advance by the hospitals’ chief nursing officers.
“We regret that these restrictions have been implemented at this time, but I am confident that they are prudent precautions to maintain the health and safety of our patients and employees. We thank everyone in advance for their cooperation and understanding,” said Jeffrey Liebman, CharterCARE CEO, in a statement.
In implementing new restrictions, ChareCARE joins Lifespan Corp., which also reintroduced stricter visitor policies at its hospitals and ambulatory care centers last week due to the rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.
