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Visitor restrictions are currently in effect at The Ottawa Hospital.

The Ottawa Hospital is taking a gradual approach to welcoming more visitors for inpatients into the hospital.

To limit the number of people in the hospital at any time while ensuring that all patients have an opportunity for visits with loved ones:

  • Patients admitted to the hospital can identify a maximum of two total visitors.
  • Patients can have one visit with one person each day.
  • Visits can last for up to one hour.
  • All visits must be scheduled in advance.

Some specialized units may have different visitor policies. Please work with your loved one’s care team to schedule a visit at an appropriate time if you would like to visit them in hospital.

Please check this page ahead of every visit for any updates to The Ottawa Hospital’s visitor policy.

If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 or have recently been in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, you will not be allowed into the hospital.

When you come to the hospital to visit a loved one:

  • Wear a cloth mask if you have one. A mask will be provided if you don’t have one.
  • Enter the hospital through designated patient entrances (listed below) and go through screening. Staff will ask you questions about symptoms, travel history, and contact history. This allows staff to monitor anyone entering the hospital for symptoms and track the flow of people in and out of the hospital.
  • Wash your hands when entering the hospital, when entering your loved one’s room, and regularly throughout your visit.
  • Go directly to your loved one’s room. Do not visit other locations in the hospital.

Unless otherwise arranged by the care team, the hospital is not currently able to accommodate visitors for patients who are not admitted to the hospital, including patients who are pregnant or who are receiving dialysis.

Exceptional visits

In exceptional circumstances, care teams will work with families to arrange additional visiting time on a compassionate and equitable basis.

Please call the hospital at 613-722-7000 and ask to be transferred to the appropriate unit to discuss the situation with your care team if:

  • Your loved one is receiving end-of-life care
  • You have an infant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
  • If you or your partner are planning to give birth at The Ottawa Hospital. For more information about Having a Baby at The Ottawa Hospital during COVID Precautions please visit our patient and visitor restriction page.

Please check this web page for updates. If you have questions, please call the unit to speak with the care team.

The Ottawa Hospital has open visiting hours

We encourage you to visit your loved one because we know that having family and friends nearby helps reduce anxiety and isolation and improves healing and recovery for our patients. Patients and their families are an important part of our care team.

Our nurses will discuss our visitor policy with the patient and determine one or two key contacts. When you are planning to visit the hospital, please discuss your visit with the key contact(s) to ensure that your loved one is feeling up to having visitors, and to coordinate with other visitors so that their room is not crowded.

The hospital has quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. If you plan to visit your loved one during these hours, please try to discuss in advance with your loved one’s key contact(s) and notify the care team so that they are expecting you. We ask that you help us maintain a quiet, restful environment. Our staff will also take care to be as quiet as possible during these times.

Family may be asked to wait in the waiting area while the care team provides care. However, sometimes family may ask or be asked to stay so they can better understand the care needed for their loved one after discharge.

Sometimes, we may need to restrict the length of visits or the number of visitors to protect patients with weak immune systems, prevent the spread of infections from one unit to another, allow for treatment, or ensure safety.  If your loved one is on a mental health unit, please talk to their doctor or care team about their treatment plan before visiting during hospital quiet hours (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.), since there may be additional restrictions.

Children under 14 years old are welcome in most areas of the hospital but must be directly supervised by an adult who is not the patient. Units with vulnerable patients might need to restrict visits by children in order to protect both the patient’s and the child’s health.

Last updated on: July 8th, 2020