Special to the Surveyor

To help create a safe and secure environment for patients and health care workers during the COVID-19 outbreak, visitors will no longer be allowed in Banner hospitals starting at 7 a.m. on Thursday, March 19. In a press release the organization said they understand this will be challenging, but are committed to take the necessary precautions to protect patients, health care workers and the community.

There are two exceptions to the visitor restriction:

• Pediatric patients (under the age of 18) may have one adult visitor with them.
• Laboring mothers may have one support person with them.

The release also stated that the hospitals understand the importance of engaging with loved ones, but highly encourage phone calls, FaceTime or video chats to stay in touch during this time.

Additional information and resources:

• Visit Banner Health’s COVID-19 webpage for the more information about COVID-19 and changes at Banner Health due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Banner Health also has an online symptom checker for those who are concered about their symptoms.