INVERNESS, Fla — Due to the continued surge of COVID-19 in Florida and the Tampa Bay area, Citrus Memorial Hospital says it will begin limiting visitors.
The new policy takes effect Aug. 11 at 7 a.m.
According to a release, no visitors will be allowed in any inpatient unit. Any exceptions must be approved by hospital administration and can be made for end-of-life situations.
One visitor is allowed per patient at the Women and Baby Center and is allowed to stay overnight.
In the emergency room, one visitor is allowed per person. One visitor is also allowed per patient during outpatient procedures that requires sedation. Visitors must stay in a designated waiting area.
Anyone under the age of 18 won't be allowed to visit unless they are the parent of a child in the hospital, according to a release.
The number of total hospitalizations with confirmed cases of COVID-19 climbed to 13,614 patients as of Aug. 9, according to the Florida Hospital Association. This is yet another day that Florida has set a new pandemic high for COVID-related hospitalizations.
Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services show the state has more than 82 percent of its inpatient beds in use. Of those, more than 24 percent of the inpatient beds and 44 percent of the ICU beds were being occupied by COVID patients, specifically.
The ongoing COVID-19 surge in Florida continues to rival the peak last seen toward the beginning of the year — a period that had been considered the worst of the pandemic.