Singapore Hospitals & Care Homes Will Limit Visitors From 7 Jul
Singapore has been facing a new wave of Covid-19 cases in the community due to the new BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants. As infection numbers continue to surge, there’s also a need to implement measures to protect the more vulnerable members of society.
On Tuesday (5 Jul), the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that they will be limiting the number of visitors to hospitals and care homes from 7 Jul to 3 Aug.
In addition to capping the number of visitors, guests will only be allowed to stay for a maximum of 30 minutes during their visits.
Patients in hospitals can have up to 2 pre-designated visitors
In a press release on Tuesday (5 Jul), MOH announced a suite of measures to protect vulnerable individuals in hospitals and residential care homes.
From Thursday (7 Jul), all hospital patients can only have two pre-designated visitors throughout their stay. However, only one visitor can be at the bedside at any one time.
Patients in critically ill conditions, on the other hand, may have up to five pre-designated visitors, two of whom can be by the bedside at any one point.
While most visitors can only stay for up to 30 minutes, MOH shared that they may extend the duration “in exceptional situations”, such as for,
- Critically ill patients
- Paediatric patients
- Birthing or post-partum mothers
- Patients who require additional care support
Hospitals will grant such exemptions on a case-by-case basis.
Prior to visiting, guests must ensure that they’re feeling well. They’re also strongly urged to take an ART on the day of their visits as a precautionary measure.
Care homes may suspend visitation if there are active Covid-19 cases
Care home residents, meanwhile, can have up to four pre-designated visitors, but only one guest at any one point.
Similar to the case for hospitals, visitors can only stay for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Visitors should also ensure that they’re well and test themselves on the day of the visit.
MOH seeks the public’s understanding as visiting might be suspended for some homes if they’re “managing active Covid-19 cases”.
The new measures will take effect on Thursday (7 Jul) and will last for about a month till 3 Aug. MOH said they will be reviewing and calibrating these measures regularly in line with the evolving situation.
For more information on the new regulations, check out MOH’s press release here.
Hope new Covid-19 wave will recede soon
As with every new Covid-19 wave, there’s a need to protect those who are most vulnerable in our community.
While the new measures may bring inconvenience to visitors, we hope they’ll be understanding of the situation we’re in.
For now, let’s hope that the new Covid-19 wave will soon recede, allowing us to return to the relative normalcy we were enjoy prior to the surge.
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