Hospital visits suspended from today: Netcare

All visiting hours for general wards, ICUs and high care units will be suspended with immediate effect, hospital group Netcare announced on Wednesday.

“In light of the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic, we needed to take extraordinary measures to protect all health care teams and our patients who cannot be discharged,” said Dr Richard Friedland, Netcare CEO. 

Restricted visits will be permitted for newborns, young children and the gravely ill, with tightened precautionary measures. These are:

Nurseries and neonatal intensive care units (NICUs): Only one parent at a time is allowed to visit newborns in a nursery or NICU. This is on condition that the parent visiting has had no Covid-19 exposure and accepts that very strict infection prevention controls will be put in place to minimise the risks to their baby and other babies being cared for in these facilities. No grandparents and siblings will be allowed to visit.

Paediatrics: Only one parent at a time is permitted to live in with an admitted child. This parent is required to have had no Covid-19 exposure and accepts that very strict infection prevention controls will be put in place to minimise the risks to their child and other children being cared for in paediatric facilities. No grandparents and siblings will be allowed to visit.

Gravely ill patients: An exception can be granted by the hospital general manager, as authorised by the regional director, in these instances. A minimal number of visitors will be granted this exception and they will be required to wear a mask.