Visiting Hours and Guidelines

As we transition from heightened COVID restrictions, Scripps now allows two visitors per patient at any given time, per day (exceptions outlined below).

Visitors must continue to be masked at all times — including when in hospital patient rooms — and everyone must be masked (including patients) whenever hospital staff are in the room.

Additionally, the following visitor limitations are in place at our hospital locations: 

• Two visitors are allowed for an inpatient at any given time. Visits may need to be staggered in double patient rooms, based on circumstances and ability to ensure proper physical distancing.
• Visitors are permitted to visit with COVID positive patients now, but must follow strict infection control guidelines including the use of a mask with eye protection. Additional personal protective equipment (PPE) may be required if the patient is undergoing certain procedures which may cause a greater risk of disease transmission.
• Only one visitor / support person will be allowed at any given time for patients undergoing inpatient or outpatient surgical procedures.
• Visiting hours are currently restricted to the hours of 10 am to 7 pm.
• Visitors must be 12 or older, unless a prior exception is granted for end of life.
• Video and phone visits are strongly encouraged as an alternative to in-person visits.
• Exceptions may be granted, but must be cleared in advance with the patient’s care providers.

• Two support people, plus a doula, are allowed per patient, at any given time.
• For COVID-19 positive patients, the support people must stay in the room for duration of the stay. No in and out privileges.
• Breastfeeding infants can accompany mothers to appointments.

• Two support people, age two and older, are allowed per patient at any given time. Support people may be limited if physical distancing is not feasible.
• Children (age 12 and under) must always be directly supervised by an accompanying adult who is not the patient.

All visitors that fall into the above categories must also be free of any flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell, and will be screened prior to entering a Scripps facility.

Proper wearing of masks is required while indoors at all Scripps facilities. While this may be relaxed for patients while alone in an exam room or within their hospital room, masks are required for patients everywhere else, and they are always required for patient visitors — even within a patient’s hospital room or an outpatient exam room.

Cloth masks, gaiters and masks with small plastic valves embedded in the front will not be permitted. This means staff, patients and visitors must wear procedural, surgical or other medical-grade masks when in a Scripps clinical facility. If needed, masks are available for visitors at entrance screening stations.

Our objective at Scripps is to minimize opportunity for COVID-19 spread.

Additionally: 

• If more than two visitors are wanting to visit, they should coordinate their visit times due to limited waiting room space.
• Visitors are not allowed to roam around the hallways and must go directly to and from the patient’s room, except for going to and from the hospital entrance, restrooms or cafeteria.
• No eating or drinking by visitors in the hospital rooms as masks must be worn at all times.
• Support people are discouraged from coming and going multiple times a day.

Visitation may be limited if census is high, regional outbreak occurs, the county moves into the purple tier, or physical distancing is not feasible in double rooms.

Please note visitation restrictions may evolve over time depending on our response to public health recommendations. Again, we are doing this to protect the health and safety of our patients, staff, clinicians and community. Thank you for your understanding.