Or download the printable version here.
Updated Dec. 21
These guidelines are in place for everyone’s safety and must be followed.
We appreciate your cooperation during the COVID pandemic.
To reduce the number of people entering the hospital, visitors are unable to rotate throughout the allotted time. It is recommended that each inpatient’s family and friends agree to a visitation schedule in advance to ensure patients only have one visitor throughout each time block.
Patients coming for clinic visits, day surgery and other outpatient services should come alone. This includes Diagnostic Imaging (e.g. X-rays, CT scans), the Walker Family Cancer Centre and Dialysis Units. Team members will assist patients as needed. In special circumstances, the unit or clinic manager may approve a support person to accompany a patient to an outpatient clinic appointment. Any exception to the visitor restrictions must be approved in advance by the manager
Visitors/care providers may only accompany patients in the ED or UCC if they are supporting patients:
At triage, the nursing staff will assess whether the visitor/support person may accompany a patient in the ED/UCC based on the special circumstances outlined above.
Visitors must wear a mask properly (over the nose, mouth and chin) and at all times while inside the hospital. This includes: all public spaces, including elevators and waiting room areas, patient rooms, whether private or shared and in the presence of a healthcare worker.
Visitors must maintain a safe physical distance of six feet (two metres) from others and follow guidelines that limit the number of people in rooms, elevators, waiting rooms and other common areas. Please remember to wash your hands at every opportunity and especially before you enter the unit or patient room and as you leave the room/hospital.
To avoid removal of masks, eating and drinking by caregivers/ support persons/ visitors is not allowed in patient rooms, waiting rooms or on units. Any food brought in by caregivers/ support persons/ visitors for patients must be individually packaged and not shared. Leftovers must be discarded.
Our staff are unable to deliver food to patients. Only eat in designated cafeteria areas and while six feet (two metres) away from others. If you are purchasing food at the hospital, only do so before or after your visit.
Any gifts for patients must be individually packaged. Our staff are unable to deliver gifts to patients. Please bring them with you during visiting hours.
There are limited entrances to our sites. All inpatient visitors are asked to enter through the main entrance of each site, with the exception being visitors at the Port Colborne Site and Douglas Memorial Site using the Urgent Care Centre entrance.
If you’re coming from out of country to visit a loved one in the hospital for compassionate reasons, please visit the Government of Canada website here for more information.
Visitors coming to Niagara Health must:
Be 16 years of age or older.
Pass screening.
Provide name and phone number to staff to support contact tracing.
Not bring food or drink into the hospital for their own consumption.
Bring their own mask and wear it mask at all times while in the hospital.
Maintain a safe physical distance of six feet (two metres) from others.
Wash their hands at every opportunity, especially before entering the unit or patient room.
Not bring food or drink into the hospital for their own consumption.
Download a printable version of our visitor guidelines here.