• By

    Joel Streed

    Hospital visitor restrictions to begin Jan. 3, 2022 in Rochester

Mayo Clinic Gonda Building entrance with blue sky in the background

To protect the health and safety of patients and staff amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Mayo Clinic will implement stricter hospital visitor guidelines at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

One consistent visitor per patient will be allowed in Rochester for daytime visits, emergency department visits, and surgeries or procedures, effective Monday, Jan. 3, 2022. Designated visitors will be screened for symptoms of acute respiratory illness or communicable infection before being allowed to enter.

Essential safety measures for visitors

Safety remains Mayo Clinic's primary focus. To protect the safety of staff, patients and visitors, Mayo Clinic will:

  • Ask all visitors COVID-19 screening questions at building entrances.
  • Require visitors to be masked appropriately at all times and comply with social distancing guidelines.
  • Restrict visitors to age 16 and over, unless they are patients seeking care.
  • Adjust hospital visiting hours based on local community COVID-19 transmission rates
  • Limit inpatients to one consistent visitor. This visitor will wear a sticker and be allowed to come and go throughout the day.
  • Prohibit eating and drinking in patient rooms. Masks can be removed while dining in designated areas.

Encourage visitors wishing to visit loved ones and friends to use other methods to connect with patients, such as through phone calls, texts, emails or video chats

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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in an area not designated for patient care, where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

Information in this post was accurate at the time of its posting. Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, scientific understanding, along with guidelines and recommendations, may have changed since the original publication date. 

For more information and all your COVID-19 coverage, go to the Mayo Clinic News Network and mayoclinic.org.

Learn more about tracking COVID-19 and COVID-19 trends.

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