Owensboro Health has implemented visitor restriction guidelines due to the high volumes of flu, RSV, COVID-19 and other viral illnesses. These guidelines will replace the COVID-19 masking protocols that have been in place for several weeks. This policy applies to all Owensboro Health locations.
The policy change comes after Owensboro Health Regional Hospital’s lab performed more than 400 rapid flu tests in a seven-day period while statewide flu activity is categorized at the “very high” level.
“Owensboro Health is committed to protecting our patients and visitors, and these guidelines minimize our patients’ exposure to outside contaminants,” officials said in a statement Friday morning. “They also reduce visitors’ risk of being exposed to illness while visiting the hospital.”
Visitor restrictions at all Owensboro Health facilities include the following:
- Masks are required in public settings or patient-facing situations.
- Visitors should be kept to a minimum.
- Anyone with a cold, respiratory illness or flu symptoms should refrain from visiting. These symptoms include one or more of the following: Fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose and/or sneezing, muscle/body aches, headaches and fatigue.
- Visitors are asked to leave the facility immediately after visiting a patient room and not loiter.
- Children under the age of 18 should not visit patients.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about the flu and this year’s flu season.
