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Information for patients and visitors to The Ottawa Hospital
If you have a fever or cough and have either returned from international travel in the last 14 days or been in contact with someone who has COVID-19, do not go to the emergency department. Go to a COVID-19 Assessment Centre.
If you are having a medical emergency, go to the nearest Emergency Department or call 911.
Visitor access to the hospital
Visitor restrictions are currently in effect at The Ottawa Hospital
The Ottawa Hospital is currently in low visitor restrictions as part of the hospital’s ongoing response to COVID-19. Beginning September 27, 2021 visitors and Essential Care Partners entering The Ottawa Hospital will need to provide proof that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 along with a piece of identification. This is to ensure the safety of everyone entering the hospital.
“Fully vaccinated” is defined as having two doses of a Health Canada-approved COVID-19 vaccine with the last dose at least 14 days ago.
During low visitor restrictions, up to two fully-vaccinated people can be at a patient’s bedside at a time unless they meet exceptional circumstances below.
Proof of being fully vaccinated can be provided using a paper or electronic receipt. If you were vaccinated in Ontario, you can download your proof of vaccination.
All visitors and Essential Care Partners
- will be screened at the entrance (see next section for details)
- will be asked to clean their hands
- must wear a hospital-issued mask at all times (a mask will be provided at the screening desk)
- must practice physical distancing (stay at least six feet apart from others) at all times
- must follow instructions from staff on the unit
The Ontario government requires hospitals to actively screen visitors who come to the hospital. The screeners will ask you about:
- symptoms
- recent exposure to someone with COVID-19
- recent travel
- vaccination status (paper or digital receipt showing proof of full vaccination from COVID-19, along with a piece of identification is required)
- basic information about you so that we can do contact tracing in the future if needed
This screening is designed to help us ensure that visitors and Essential Care Partners coming into the hospital are not ill and/or not at risk of COVID-19 exposure from travel or close contact. Please also note that there may be a lineup for screening because of increased numbers of visitors.
We strongly encourage all eligible people to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as it protects from serious illness, hospitalization and death. In preventing increases in hospitalizations, getting vaccinated protects our health-care system and ensures that health-care workers can continue to provide care for all those who need it.
During low restrictions, visitors do not need to schedule their visits in advance unless scheduled visits are common practice. However, there must be no more than two fully-vaccinated people at a patient’s bedside at a time (unless previously approved by the care team) to ensure physical distancing can be maintained. If physical distancing is not possible because of the number of individuals or size of the room, staff will ask you to wait for others to leave so that physical distancing can be maintained.
There are limited exceptions to the requirement for vaccination for urgent or essential reasons. Please speak with the care team to determine if you meet the criteria for an exception.
During low visitor restrictions, visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. For patients in Mental Health, visitors are asked to come between 2 and 8 p.m. In some cases, visitors may be permitted to stay beyond visiting hours in consultation with the care team.
Due to space limitations, only a fully-vaccinated Essential Care Partner may accompany a patient to their outpatient appointment. It may not always be possible to wait with the patient due to space limitations in waiting rooms.
Yes. patients who are coming to the hospital for appointments, Essential Care Partners and visitors will be given a disposable medical mask when they enter the hospital. Masks must be worn at all times while in the hospital.
Masks help prevent the spread of respiratory illness, including COVID-19, when important measures such as physical distancing are not possible.
Important information about properly and safely wearing a mask.
Essential Care Partners and social visitors are not the same. An Essential Care Partner (ECP) is a support person whose presence is considered essential to the safety and well-being of a patient while they are in the hospital.
Learn more about The Ottawa Hospital’s Essential Care Partner Program
There are limited exceptions to the vaccination requirement, and more visitors can be permitted under some circumstances such as end-of-life care.
For more information about having a baby at The Ottawa Hospital during COVID precautions, please visit our COVID-19 obstetrics patient information and visitor restriction page.
We will continue to monitor the situation in the hospital and the community, and will adapt our visitor policy to help ensure safety for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please check this web page for updates. If you have any questions, please call the unit to speak with the care team.
Last updated on: October 7th, 2021