Midlands hospital tightens visitor rules as COVID surges. What to know before you visit
One Midlands hospital is tightening its visitor rules this week amid a recent surge in new COVID-19 cases.
Lexington Medical Center announced Tuesday it would adopt the stricter rules beginning on Wednesday.
Only one visitor will be allowed to accompany a patient in the emergency room, but only until the emergency room reaches capacity. The visitor must stay in the patient’s exam room and can then accompany them to their room after the patient is admitted.
Likewise, one visitor can wait in the lobby during a patient’s surgery and accompany the patient to their room afterwards.
One visitor per day will be allowed to visit a patient between the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors must be masked at all times.
One support person is allowed to accompany a woman giving birth.
Besides being required to wear a mask, visitors will also be screened for COVID-19 upon admission and will be asked to leave depending on the result. No visitors are allowed for patients who have been diagnosed or are suspected of having COVID-19, and no visitors are allowed under 16 years of age for any patient.
The new restrictions reflect a rising number of COVID-19 cases across South Carolina. After making it through the month of November without reporting more than 1,000 cases in a day, South Carolina exceeded that number 21 times in the month of December, including nearly 18,000 new cases in the week to Dec. 30.
South Carolina has one of the the country’s lowest rates of full vaccination status — people with two vaccine shots — among its eligible population, at an estimated 51.8%.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 11:33 AM.
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