Most of the major hospitals contacted by straitstimes.com on Wednesday said they are limiting the number of visitors to one or two per patient for now. -- PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLIC hospitals are restricting visits to patients as part of stepped up precautionary measures, which kicked in after the Ministry of Health raised the swine flu pandemic alert level from green to yellow on Tuesday night.
Most of the major hospitals contacted by straitstimes.com on Wednesday said they are limiting the number of visitors to one or two per patient for now.
Singapore General Hospital, which is allowing only two visitors for each patient, is also barring children under 12 from visiting its ward patients.
It said young children are more susceptible to infection.
The National University Hospital is also said to be prohibiting children under 12 to visit its patients.
Said NUH spokesman:"Young children are more active and generally have lower immunity, and they can potentially spread or catch infections. Not allowing young children to visit is a... measure that seeks to protect the children as well as our patients, visitors and staff."
NUH is advising restriction of visitors to the hospital especially in higher-risk areas such as EMD, ICUs, High Dependency Units and Isolation wards.
These include persons who are ill and others with low immunity who are more susceptible to infections.
Alexandra hospital, which is also limiting visitors to two each patient, is not allowing visitors into the Accidents and Emergency Observation ward at all. "At the moment, children are not allowed in the ICUs and isolation ward. We are discouraging parents from bringing them to the general wards and the hospital at this time," said its spokesman.
Hospitals are also screening visitors, who are now required to have their particulars recorded to facilitate contact tracing.
Visitors have also been advised to don surgical masks, clean their hands before and after visits and after the removal of masks.
