CLEVELAND — Cleveland Clinic is changing its visitation policy as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations rise across Ohio and the rest of the nation. 

What You Need To Know

  • Starting Tuesday, all patients whether they are COVID-19 positive or negative are only allowed one visitor

  • Patients will no longer have to designate a visitor for their entire stay

  • Currently, COVID-positive patients are allowed one visitor whereas COVID-negative patients are allowed two, and the patients must have them designated

Starting Tuesday, these new policies will go into effect until further notice:

  • Patients in the emergency department 18 and older can have only one visitor 
  • All inpatients will be allowed one visitor, and it doesn't have to be the same visitor each day
  • Visitors to inpatients can only enter the building once each day
  • Visitors who tested positive for COVID-19 have to wait at least 10 days before seeing loved ones in the hospital
  • If visitors who are not fully vaccinated were exposed to COVID, they must wait 14 days
  • If visitors who are fully vaccinated were exposed to COVID, they can visit a patient if they give proof of vaccination and are asymptomatic

Visitation hours remain 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. All visitors must 18 years old and older, must wear a mask, pass a COVID-19 health screening and sanitize their hands upon arrival. 

Currently, for COVID-19-positive patients, they can have only one designated visitor for the entire stay, whereas with the new rules, patients no longer need to designate a visitor each day. The new changes also eliminate the current policy that allows patients who don't have COVID-19 to have up to two visitors each day. They will now only have one. 

"Visiting with loved ones is important to our patients, especially during the holiday season," Cleveland Clinic officials wrote in a press release Monday. "While we continue to manage high numbers of patients in our facilities, we have protocols in place that allow more individuals to visit, while still protecting our patients and caregivers."

The change comes after the Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and University Hospitals announced Friday they were postponing some elective surgeries. The hospital systems said 90% of COVID-19 patients in their ICUs are not vaccinated and are urging Ohioan's to get the shots as soon as possible. 

"As we continue to navigate the pandemic and adjust to the changing healthcare needs of our patients, our health systems are seeing unprecedented demand for inpatient care across our facilities. This has led to our hospitals reaching nearly full capacity at many locations," the statement read. 

The Ohio Department of Health reported 5,334 new COVID cases and 80 hospitalizations Sunday. More than 58% of Ohioans have started the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the ODH dashboard. Around 53% are fully vaccinated. 

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