BayCare announced it's tightening its visitation rules beginning Tuesday, Aug. 3 due to the surge of COVID-19 cases in the area.
“No one takes any pleasure in having to limit visits from patients’ loved ones or telling someone they will need to wait for their procedure,” said BayCare Chief Operating Officer Glenn Waters. “But our first priority has to be to keep our facilities as safe as possible for all our patients and caregivers so patients can recover and return home as soon as possible.”
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Starting Tuesday only one adult visitor per day will be allowed for each patient between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to BayCare. Visitors, despite their vaccination status, will be required to wear masks and only be allowed to go to and from the patient's room.
"Exceptions to the Visitation Policy may also be made to provide reasonable accommodation to patients with disabilities or special needs and to comply with applicable laws. For details, contact the hospital’s Security or the AOD (Administrator on Duty) and describe the special circumstances."
BayCare also announced it will be pausing all elective procedures at its six hospitals in Hillsborough County starting Tuesday. The hospitals impacted are:
- St. Joseph’s
- St. Joseph’s Children’s
- St. Joseph’s Women’s in Tampa
- St. Joseph’s North in Lutz
- St. Joseph’s South in Riverview
- South Florida Baptist in Plant City
“We are shifting our resources as the community’s needs require. Our priority will always be patient safety and being sure we are available to serve our communities’ acute health needs,” Waters said.