COVID Spike: Some Local Hospitals To Again Limit Visitors

As coronavirus cases are on the uptick, some local hospitals are once again limiting visitors.

When visitor restrictions were eased at local hospitals a few months ago, it was a sign we were trending in the right direction with the COVID-19 pandemic. So, it is not great news some restrictions are going back into place.

According to a Times Union story, a spokesperson for St. Peter's in Albany and Samaritan Hospital in Troy said "The only visitors the hospitals are allowing in are those visiting dying patients, parents or guardians of child undergoing care, the partners of women in labor and people who are essential for the care of special needs patients like those with Alzheimer's disease." The Times Union says these are are the same restrictions visitors had to follow back in the spring.

Those are the words you don't want to read, the ones referring to us reverting to measures that were in place when the pandemic was at it's worst. That said, we have knowledge on our side now and it is safe to assume the healthcare industry will do everything it can to get ahead of measures that could curb the spread of the coronavirus. We were all caught by surprise when this pandemic came out of nowhere in the spring, and now on all levels as a society we are watching every little detail and development. Let's hope that experience and lessons learned help us cope with the second wave more effectively than the first, and allow us to keep moving around and working as freely as possible.