The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec has laid out new directives regarding the arrival of caregivers, companions and visitors to a hospital centre.
Visitors are now allowed to visit patients in all hospital sectors.
General conditions
Among the terms and conditions, the following persons will not be allowed to visit a relative:
a person who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 28 days;
a person whose recovery has not been confirmed;
a person with symptoms consistent with COVID-19;
a person suspected of being infected or awaiting a result (in isolation).
Hospital and centre visiting hours still apply and must be followed.
Only one person at a time is allowed, to a maximum of four people during a 24-hour period. Those guidelines may, however, be modified for compassionate reasons, for example, if a patient is at the end of life or if it is an emergency.
Sector-specific conditions
For emergency rooms, only one attendant per patient is allowed, unless the presence of other people is required for medical reasons or for the announcement of difficult news. Visitors may be temporarily banned in case of heavy traffic.
On the oncology side, the presence of accompanying persons is limited to cases that require it, for example, for patients who need special support, such as people with cognitive impairment or hospitalized children. In the case of bone marrow transplantation and cell therapy, no one is admitted unless necessary and subject to a triage or testing procedure applicable to the unit.
In obstetrics, all reasonable measures must be put in place to facilitate the presence of an accompanying person at the time of delivery. In neonatology and paediatrics, the presence of parents is encouraged, always in accordance with established infection control measures.
