In a statement this afternoon, Te Whatu Ora - Southern said visiting has been temporarily suspended, effective immediately, to the Surgical Ward at the Invercargill hospital.
Visiting to the Assessment, Treatment & Rehabilitation Ward (AT&R Ward) was suspended from Monday.
"All necessary steps are being taken to ensure the exposure events are contained. This includes closely monitoring patients for signs and symptoms of Covid-19, and ensuring our staff are well when they come to work.
"Our priority is patient safety. We apologise for the inconvenience to patients at Southland Hospital and their families. We know this is distressing for them, and we thank everyone for supporting our health care team to keep our community safe."
Visiting the Surgical Ward and the AT&R Ward during this time is available on compassionate grounds. Please contact Southland Hospital (03) 218 1949 for more details.
Visiting remains in place for the rest of the hospital from 2-6pm.
To reduce the spread of Covid and other respiratory illnesses, infection prevention and control measures will continue to be in place at Southland Hospital.
Please be prepared for the following during your visit:
- All visitors will be screened at the door.
- All visitors are required to wear a surgical mask and keep it on for the entirety of the visit to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.
- Surgical masks are available at the hospital entrance.
- Patients will only be allowed two nominated visitors per stay (only one visitor is allowed per day) with the exception made on compassionate grounds.
People were advised to home stay home if unwell and not visit loved ones in hospital until fully recovered for at least 24 hours.
