Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is once again limiting patient visits in its emergency department.
The hospital said in an announcement that the recent increased rate of transmission of Covid-19 has caused it to look at this matter with the safety of its patients and their loved ones, and employees, in mind. Since Aug. 9, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been an average of just over 363 new cases per day in Suffolk County.
The hospital’s update reverses a policy established in May that previously allowed one adult visitor per patient between either 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. or 4 and 6 p.m.
However, the hospital said it will make exceptions to the new rule under specific circumstances. Visitation will be permitted for pediatric patients, those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, and those with cognitive impairments. One visitor will be permitted per patient at the bedside.
The updated rule only applies to the emergency department and not to hospital inpatients. In-person visitation is still allowed for inpatients between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., and a total of two visitors will be allowed per patient, per day. Stony Brook Southampton Hospital said it will continue to follow the guidelines of the New York State Department of Health and alter its policies accordingly.