Monterey County hospitals implement new visitor restrictions
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
Monica Sciuto (831) 622-2756, Monica.sciuto@montagehealth.org
Natividad Medical Center
Hillary Fish (831) 262-4375, fishh@natividad.com
Salinas Valley Healthcare System
Karina Rusk (831) 759-1825, krusk@svmh.com
Mee Memorial
Tracy Hopper (831) 241-1253, tracy@hopperopolis.com
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif. — To protect patients, visitors, and staff, Monterey County hospitals are implementing new restrictions on visitors to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 to hospital staff and patients.
Beginning 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, August 11, in compliance with a state public health order issued August 5, all visitors to Monterey County hospitals will be required to:
- Show proof of full* COVID-19 vaccination or
- Show proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before their visit (can be a PCR or antigen test)
Visitors who are visiting a patient in critical condition, when death may be imminent, are exempt from these vaccination and testing requirements but must follow all mask, personal protective equipment (PPE), and physical distancing requirements.
(*Full vaccination as defined by the health order: Two weeks or more after they have received the second dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna or vaccine authorized by the World Health Organization), or two weeks or more after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson).
Monterey County hospitals also have additional restrictions for visitors, such as limited visiting hours, masking, and the number of visitors allowed per patient. To see the full visitor policy for each hospital visit:
To see the full state public health order, click here. According to the order, unvaccinated persons are more likely to get infected and spread the virus, which is transmitted through the air. Most current hospitalizations and deaths are among unvaccinated persons.
With a significant increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Monterey County, vaccinations are the most effective way to help prevent further spread of the virus and reduce severe illness and hospitalization.
Monterey County residents and visitors can find testing sites and free vaccination locations on the Monterey County Health Department website: 2019 novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Monterey County, CA, or by visiting your local hospital websites:
We appreciate the public’s understanding of these changes as we seek to keep the community, our patients, and our staff safe from COVID-19.
