COVID-19 Patient Visitation Policy
General Visitation Guidelines
These visitation guidelines apply to all Penn State Health care settings with the exception of COVID-19 units. Contact your patient’s care team before visiting if you have questions about how the policy applies to you.
Penn State Health staff will continue to monitor COVID-19 and adjust its visitation policy appropriately.
Changes include:
- With some exceptions, the health system will permit all visitors for all adult and pediatric inpatient and outpatient patients from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Units may restrict the number of people at the patient’s bedside to ensure safety and privacy.
- No more than two people at a time may visit critical care patients. The hospital unit will coordinate visits for people under age 18.
- Only two family or support persons over age 18 are permitted to visit Labor and Delivery patients. The restriction doesn’t apply to postpartum patients.
- No more than two visitors are permitted in adult and pediatric outpatient surgery and procedure departments, emergency departments and outpatient clinics at any given time.
The health system will no longer screen visitors for COVID-19 at entrances. Units with high-risk or immunocompromised patients may screen visitors if they determine it to be in the patients’ best interest. All visitors must continue to wear level 1 (surgical grade) masks. They may wear cloth masks, but only if they cover them with a level 1 mask.
