VISITING HOSPITAL

All hospital visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask. Expand this message for information about visiting hospital.

Last updated:
13 March 2023

Some visitor restrictions for all Te Whatu Ora Waitaha Canterbury hospitals and health facilities remain in place, but we have relaxed others.

There is still a heightened risk to vulnerable people in hospital and so we recommend all people wear a mask when visiting any of our facilities and follow other advice designed to keep patients, staff and  visitors safe.

To keep everybody safe:

  • Visitors or support people must not visit our facilities if they are unwell. Do not visit if you have recently tested positive for COVID-19 and haven’t completed your isolation period.
  • Patients may have more than one visitor, except in some situations such as multi-bed rooms where it can cause overcrowding.
  • Surgical/medical masks are recommended to be worn at all sites. Masks will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • For Specialist Mental Health Services everyone is strongly encouraged to wear a face mask in all inpatient areas and areas where consumers are receiving care (i.e. community appointments, home-visits, transporting people). Discretion may be applied in cases where masks impair your ability to communicate effectively.
  • Visitors must not eat or drink in multibed rooms because of the increased risk when multiple people remove their face mask in the same space.
  • Hand sanitiser is available and must be used.

Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as our staff work hard to protect and care for some of the most vulnerable in our community.

Visiting patients with COVID-19

  • People can visit patients who have COVID-19 but they must wear an N95 mask – this will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • Other methods of communication will be facilitated e.g. phone, Facetime, Zoom, WhatsApp etc where visits aren’t possible.

All of our Hospitals

Visiting hours for our hospitals have returned to pre COVID-19 hours with the exception of Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

All visitors are recommended to wear a medical face mask.

Parents/caregivers are able to be with their child in hospital and visitors are now allowed, except for the Children’s Haematology and Oncology Day stay where just one parent/caregiver is able to attend their appointment with their child. Exceptions by special arrangement only.

Patients and visitors should also read the additional more detailed visiting guidelines for each specific hospital.

More COVID-19 information

Second case of COVID-19 confirmed in Canterbury

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Friday 20 March 2020Media release3 minutes to read

THIS IS AN ARCHIVED PAGE. The advice and information contained in this page may not be current and it should only be used for historical reference purposes.

A second case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in the region

A US citizen in his 50s has tested positive for COVID-19, after travelling to New Zealand from the United States to visit family.
 
The man arrived in New Zealand on Saturday 14 March on a flight from Los Angeles. He flew to Christchurch on Sunday 15 March.  He was contacted later that day by public health staff from Auckland to advise him that there had been a confirmed case of COVID-19 on his flight from Los Angeles and advised to self-isolate.  He and his wife, who travelled with him, complied with that advice.  When he became unwell on Monday 16 March, he rang ahead to a local Urgent Care health centre and arrangements were made for him to be seen and tested.  

He and his wife are currently self-isolating with family in Christchurch.
 
Details of the flights the man travelled on will be posted on the Ministry of Health’s website here.
 
Contact tracing by Community and Public Health is now underway, and close contacts are being requested to stay in self-isolation for 14 days from the date of potential exposure.
 
Canterbury DHB Chief Medical Officer, Dr Sue Nightingale wanted to acknowledge the work of the public health team, the general practice team, and Canterbury Health Laboratories for their work in promptly assessing, testing and following up with this man and his close contacts.
 
“It’s important to remember that the Ministry of Health's assessment is that with continued vigilance, the chance of a widespread community outbreak is expected to remain low to moderate.
 
“Over time we expect we will see more cases in Canterbury. Isolated cases linked to overseas travel, or close contact with a confirmed case will be followed up by public health teams to help stop the spread,” Dr Nightingale said.
 
Prevention – how to protect yourself and others

  • Cough or sneeze into your elbow or by covering your mouth and nose with tissues.
  • Wash your hands with soap and water often (for at least 20 seconds).
  • Avoid close contact with people who are unwell (try to stay at least 2 metres away)
  • Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
  • Avoid personal contact with sick people, such as kissing and sharing cups or food.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects, such as doorknobs.
  • Stay home if you feel unwell.

ENDS

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Page last updated: 30 July 2020

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