You will be asked:

• if you are experiencing any COVID, cold and flu symptoms, including (but not limited to):
  • Sore throat or difficulty breathing
  • New or worsening cough
  • Runny/stuffy nose
  • Shortness of breath
  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
  • Unexplained fatigue/muscle aches
  • Loss of sense of taste or smell
  • Vomiting or diarrhea
• whether you have been instructed to self-isolate or quarantine
• your contact information so that we can do contact tracing in the future if needed

You may also be asked about:

• recent exposure to someone with COVID-19
• recent travel

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 contacts. Please also note that there may be a lineup for screening because of the 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. Being immunized protects those around us, reduces the impact of COVID-19 on our health-care system, and ensures that health-care workers can continue to provide care for all who need it.

No.

There are no defined visiting hours as part of this policy, and loved ones are welcome to visit patients at The Ottawa Hospital at times that work best for patients in collaboration with care teams.

Due to space limitations, we recommend 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 is a support person whose presence is considered essential to the safety and wellbeing of a patient while they are in the hospital.

Learn more about The Ottawa Hospital’s Essential Care Partner Program

While a unit is experiencing an outbreak, there may be increased precautions on that unit to ensure the safety of patients, staff and Essential Care Partners. This means that in some cases, visitors may not be allowed on that particular unit. Before visiting a unit experiencing an outbreak at The Ottawa Hospital, visitors are advised to consult with unit staff. Entrance screening staff will verify all visitors with unit staff.

For more information about having a baby at The Ottawa Hospital during COVID-19 precautions, please visit our COVID-19 obstetrics patient information and visitor restriction page.

All children who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 are asked not to visit patients in the hospital whenever possible. This will help reduce risk because we know that it can be difficult for children to wear a mask properly and maintain physical distancing.

We know that sometimes children need to visit patients. In those cases we will work with you to see if a visit can be done safely.  If you would like to bring a child to visit someone in the hospital, please talk to your loved one’s care team in advance.

We will continue to monitor the situation in the hospital and the community, and we will adapt our visitor policy to help ensure safety for everyone. Thank you for your cooperation.