Essentia Health reinstating visitor restrictions across all hospitals

–RELEASE– (9/20/21)

Essentia Health is reinstating visitor restrictions at all of our hospitals due to increased transmission of COVID-19. 

In most cases, two adult visitors will be allowed per patient, per day. Visitation is limited to the same two people in a single day. 

Patients with known or suspected COVID-19 are not allowed visitors unless they are pediatric or OB patients, or patients in an end-of-life situation. A person who has been determined to be essential to the care and safety of a patient will also be allowed visitation. 

General visitation hours in the hospital are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. When visitors are care partners or are visiting in emergency departments, pediatric inpatient units and neonatal ICUs, visitation is allowed 24/7. 

There are exceptions to this policy for several situations. Our complete visitor policy can be found here.  

Essentia continues to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health department guidelines by requiring continuous masking among everyone within our facilities and by screening patients and visitors. We ask visitors to remain in the room of the patient they are visiting.