Hospitals add visitor restrictions

Both Willamette Valley Medical Center in McMinnville and Providence Newberg Hospital in Newberg are limiting visitors, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

At WVMC, visiting hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and all visitors must be healthy and at least 16. Patients are limited to no more than two visitors per day, and only one at a time, and staff are encouraging visitors to stay no more than 30 minutes.

Providence Newberg is also restricting patients to just two visitors per day, and only one at a time, although it is allowing visitors 12 and older.

“Exceptions are made for well children who are immediate family members of the patient,” it states on its website.

Providence Newberg also notes that “Visitors to intensive care, maternity and pediatric units are limited to those essential to a patient’s emotional well-being and care.”

It asks that all visitors check in at the nurses’ station before visiting patients rooms, and that people who have cold or flu-like symptoms refrain from visiting patients at the hospital.

On March 10, Governor Kate Brown issued similar restrictions for long-term care facilities.

It directs them to limit visitation to “essential individuals,” and to allow only two visitors per resident at a time. It also asks facilities to screen all visitors and not allow in those who are ill, or have recently traveled to affected areas, and help “facilitate residents’ access to socialization… through virtual visits.”