Visiting restrictions at Rotorua & Taupo Hospitals
At COVID Alert Level 2, we need to be careful about managing the contact between individuals and meet social distancing requirements. We need to be able to track everyone entering the hospital so that if there are positive cases, we can quickly identify who is at risk and put in place measures to stop the spread of Covid-19.
Chief Operating Officer for Lakes DHB Alan Wilson says the arrangements will help ensure that we have additional measures in place to protect patients, staff, visitors, families and the wider community.
From tomorrow, all visitors coming into Rotorua or Taupo Hospital will be required to sign in using the covid tracer app or complete the visitors register on entry and exit of the hospital, and to wear a visitor sticker.
The general visiting times for both hospitals will move to 11.00am-1.00pm and 4.00-6.00pm daily. This means that only one person may visit at a time in the first visiting hours slot of 11am-1pm, and later in the day from 4-6pm.
Visiting restrictions at Lakes DHB hospitals are aligned to the Ministry of Health’s National Hospital Response Framework, and Lakes hospitals are currently at green on the framework.
Alan Wilson says all people planning on coming to hospital for an appointment or to visit should have no symptoms such as fever or cough, should practice hand hygiene and wear appropriate PPE as directed by staff.
Key features of the restrictions are:
- Two consistent people can be with a patient who is receiving end of life care.
- For parents with a child in the Children’s Unit or in the Special Care Baby Unit, there can be one parent or guardian as the support person plus one other visitor.
- A woman in labour can have one support person in the birthing suite and this person can remain with the mother until she is discharged, even if that includes a post natal stay.
- People coming to ED can have only one person with them at any time, as is the case with patients in any other area of the hospitals.
Patients are encouraged to talk regularly with friends and family via phone or by facetime and similar applications. Staff will be available for condition updates to whānau using phone (or facetime) as whānau require.
Public access to Rotorua Hospital will be through the main entrance only.
Lakes DHB is currently continuing to operate full elective and outpatient services as many patients are waiting longer due to the early cancellations of surgery during the level 4 lockdown.