Mayo General Hospital visitor restrictions to be lifted

Mayo General Hospital visitor restrictions to be lifted


Áine Ryan

VISITING restrictions are set to be lifted at Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, tomorrow (Wednesday), according to the HSE. The restrictions were implemented after an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug (Norovirus) in the community in recent weeks.
A HSE statement, issued last week, said that ‘due to a presence of the virus in A Ward visitors will be restricted in this area and visiting to non-affected areas will be strictly limited to visiting times as a precautionary measure’.
“The hospital management has put control measures in place to reduce the risk of the virus spreading to other areas or departments within the hospital. It is important that ill and vulnerable patients in the hospital do not become more ill than they already are, so please cooperate with Mayo General Hospital policy on visiting,” the statement continued.
It urged any prospective visitors who had such symptoms as diarrhoea or vomiting or who had contact with others who have such symptoms ‘should not visit patients in the hospital to avoid spreading the virus’.
The restrictions included rigorous adherence to hospital visiting times between 2pm and 4pm and 6.30pm to 8.30pm. Special facilities were made for the families of critically ill patients through the duty nurse prior to visits.,
“It is expected that the visiting restrictions will be lifted on Wednesday on the basis that no patients are symptomatic for the required 72 hours,” the HSE said in a response to a Mayo News query yesterday.