Visiting Hours

COVID-19 Visitor Guidelines & Policy

Beth Israel Lahey Health has taken a number of steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in order keep our patients and staff safe. You can review our Safe Care plan here to learn more about what we’re doing to ensure your safety when you visit one of our facilities. Additional information on COVID-19 can be found here.

Visitor Guidelines

We understand the importance of being able to visit a patient while they are in the hospital, however, we have put temporary visitor restrictions in place to help protect everyone from COVID-19.

Thank you for your cooperation during this time, we are looking forward to welcoming visitors in a less restricted way as soon as we can. If you're looking to reschedule an appointment or to make a telehealth appointment please contact your provider for more information.

Visitor Policy

Effective March 1, 2021

Anna Jaques is allowing one visitor at a time during the designated visiting hours and following the conditions below.

Patients should continue to enter through the Main Entrance and will be screened for COVID-19. *Note: the Capolupo Entrance is closed to patients. Staff may enter using their access card. 

  • Please refer to institutional essential escort/support person/visitor and end of life visitation policies for additional details.
  • Please see Instructions for Screening Patients, Essential Escorts, Support Persons and Visitors for COVID-19 for specific screening instructions.
  • Visiting hours at Anna Jaques Hospital are 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm and limited to one visitor at a time

Emergency Department

  • Patients seeking Emergency care should enter through the ED. An escort will be permitted for those patients who require assistance.

Outpatient Surgery/Ambulatory and Procedural Areas

  • For outpatient surgery/ambulatory areas, patients should arrange for pick-up/drop-off for their appointment/procedure.  An escort will be permitted for those patients who require assistance.
  • Each patient may have one (1) essential escort.
  • Essential escort must remain with the patient.
    • If the patient is having outpatient surgery or a procedure, the visitor should leave the facility once the patient has gone into their surgery or procedure.
    • Visitors cannot wait in cafeterias, gift shops or lobbies due to physical distancing requirements.
  • Children under 18 are not permitted to enter the facility; though exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Maternity

  • Maternity patients may have one birth partner with them.

Labor & Delivery and Postpartum Areas

  • Labor & Delivery Units may have up to two (2) continuous support persons during labor and childbirth.
  • One (1) continuous labor support person may stay overnight on the Postpartum Unit.
  • Labor support persons should be 12 years of age or older. If a labor support person is younger than 18 years of age, there must be a second support person present who is over 18 years of age.
  • If it is medically necessary to temporarily separate the labor support person(s) from the patient, the labor support person(s) should wait in a nearby room (e.g., if the patient goes from a labor room to an operating room, the labor support person may wait in the delivery room), as directed by staff.
  • If a patient requires care in the operating room, a maximum of one (1) support person may be able to accompany the patient, depending on clinical circumstances.
  • Labor support person(s) may remain with the patient as the patient transitions to the postpartum unit. One (1) labor support person may remain with the patient continuously until discharge home. The other labor support person may visit as desired by the patient, following the guidance in the Inpatients section above.

Inpatients (including Antepartum Units)

  • Visitors are not allowed for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
  • All other patients may have one (1) visitor per day.
  • Visiting hours should be of limited duration and defined by each facility.
  • All visitors must wear a BILH-provided surgical mask, fully covering the nose and mouth, at all times while in the hospital.
  • Children under the age of 18 may not visit unless they are visiting a hospitalized parent or sibling and are at least 12 years old. Children under 12 are not allowed due to infection control risk associated with potential viral respiratory illnesses. Exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Visitors must remain in the room with the patient unless otherwise instructed by staff
    • Visitors may not wait in cafeterias, gift shops or lobbies due to physical distancing requirements.
    • Visitors should not walk in the halls or visit the kitchen on the unit.
    • If the visitor must leave the patient, such as during a procedure, the visitor is asked to leave the facility until contacted to return.
    • Visitors may not eat or drink in the patient’s room.
  • Designated support persons for patients with intellectual and/or physical disabilities should be provided reasonable access to treatment areas as well access to food and bathroom facilities.
  • All persons must practice physical distancing while in the facility

Visitor exceptions may be made to allow for no more than one healthy visitor at a time under select extenuating circumstances. A Designated Support person must be screened and includes:

  • Parent of patient who is under the age of 18 years old
  • Person accompanying a patient with a disability or special need
  • Birth partner
  • Legal guardian
  • Activated Health Care Agent
  • Attorney of patient
  • Situations deemed necessary by the ED Provider or Nurse
  • Critical care or end of life situations

Decisions regarding visitor exceptions should be made by the patient’s care team. For all exceptions made, visitors must be screened for COVID-19 risk factors. The care team shall include the patient’s nurse, the charge nurse, and the Director/Nursing Supervisor.

We understand the toll that restricting visitors will have on our patients, their families, and our staff. Our goal is to keep our patients and community as safe as possible during this time.

Please Note:

Visitors are individuals who visit inpatients.

Essential Escorts are individuals who escort patients to ambulatory appointments and procedural areas.

Support Persons

  • Designated support persons for patients with intellectual and/or physical disabilities may include, but shall not be limited to: an essential escort, a guardian or other legally authorized decision-maker, family member, caregiver, personal care assistant or another disability service provider knowledgeable about the patient's care.
  • Labor support persons are those individuals who stay in the Labor & Delivery or postpartum patient’s room continuously during their hospitalization.
  • Designated and labor support persons are not considered visitors.

Find additional COVID-19 information for patients and visitors of AJH here.

General Visiting Hours 

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Limited to one visitor per patient at a time