To be designated as an essential visitor/care partner, you must be must be Next of Kin or another family member or caregiver who is older than 18 years — or on file as Power of Attorney (POA) for personal care or Substitute Decision Maker (SDM).

Only visitors will proof of full vaccination status can enter the hospital. Only Health Canada approved vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, or 1 dose of Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) will be accepted). Must be at least 14 days since final vaccination.

• Anyone who is not fully vaccinated
• Anyone who does not meet the defined criteria for an essential visitor/care partner
• Anyone who has the following signs or symptoms: fever, cough, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, sore throat, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
• Anyone who is known or suspected to be COVID-19 positive, and has not been cleared by Public Heath
• Anyone who has been in contact with someone else known to be COVID-19 positive
• Anyone with a travel history anywhere in the world for the past 14 days preceding the onset of symptoms

If the visitor is an Essential Visitor/ Care Partner, who is unvaccinated, will only be permitted to enter the hospital if they are supporting patients under one of the following categorical exceptions:

• Patients who are near end-of-life (within weeks). Patients who are under 18 years of age (supported by parents or legal guardians).
• Patients requiring a support person when:
  o receiving a life altering diagnosis
  o experiencing a mental health crisis
  o developmentally or intellectually delayed
  o cognitively impaired and/or experiencing escalating behaviours
  o inability to effectively communicate (i.e., English is not the primary language and there is a significant language barrier)
  o Primary caregiver for patients that require extensive support (i.e., physical care) that cannot be provided by the care team
• Patients requiring a support person to safely attend their appointment
  o For example, due to dementia; significant developmental or intellectual delay; inability to effectively communicate; or mobility issues that cannot be supported by the health care team, etc.
• Patients giving birth at the hospital (supported by birthing partner)

• Visiting will be restricted based on the patient’s care plan. The visitor/care partner will need to work with the care team to determine, frequency, date, and time of visit based on the access limitations.
• Visiting hours are from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Based on guidance from Public Health, as the conditions change we will update families on any changes in the visiting process.

It can happen in two cases:

1. If the number of COVID-19 cases in the community increases, SHN can put restrictions on all visiting with the direction of Public Health and/or Ministry of Health.
2. If we have cases of COVID-19 or any other communicable illness, or if we are in an outbreak, all visits will have to stop for all patients.

• Try to communicate virtually whenever possible (units have dedicated iPads to support virtual visits) – Learn more
• Clean hands frequently with hand sanitizer or soap and water
• Stay home when sick
• Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet (2 metres)
• Wear a mask at all times while visiting to cover your mouth and nose