Visitor restrictions lifted at Duke hospitals as respiratory illness declines in Triangle

Due to a significant decrease of respiratory illnesses in the Triangle, all Duke University Health System hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers will remove patient visitation restrictions, effective Tuesday.

Posted 4:15 p.m. Today — Updated 4:15 p.m. Today

By

WRAL staff

Visitor restrictions are being lifted at Duke University hospitals as respiratory illness declines in the Triangle.

Due to a significant decrease of respiratory illnesses in the Triangle, all Duke University Health System hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers will remove patient visitation restrictions, effective Tuesday.

The previous restrictions limited daytime visitors of hospital and ambulatory surgery patients to no more than two people aged 12 and older. The move was part of a multi-step approach to protect patients and prevent the spread of influenza, RSV and COVID-19 at Duke University hospitals.

New visitation guidelines include the following restrictions:

Up to four visitors at a time where space permits; switching is allowed.
Visiting hours for inpatient, bone marrow transplant, and ICU units: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily.
Visiting hours for maternity, end of life, emergency department, procedural and perioperative surgical units: 24/7 access.
Visitors of all ages are allowed in inpatient, maternity and ambulatory spaces.
Visitors must be 18+ in perioperative, surgical and procedural areas.

Additional visitation and masking precautions may apply to certain patient populations. Exceptions to visitation restrictions may be granted for special circumstances.

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