Following new national guidance on visiting, visitors to all hospitals will be asked to produce their EU Digital Covid Certificate or HSE Covid-19 Vaccination Record or other proof of immunity at the entrance.
Visitors will be asked to show photo ID to prove that the proof of immunity is theirs and will not be able to access the hospital without photo ID, unless it is a pre-arranged visit on compassionate grounds.
There are exemptions from the requirement for the EU Digital Covid Certificate or HSE Covid-19 Vaccination Record or other proof of immunity, on compassionate grounds. There are separate arrangements in place for access to the maternity department for nominated support partners.
Anyone coming to the hospital must complete a Covid-19 screening checklist and follow the public health guidance, including wearing a face mask and performing good hand hygiene regularly.
Catherine Donohoe, Hospital Manager, Mayo University Hospital, said, “We know how important it is for patients to have a visitor every day and we are trying to balance this need with the need to reduce the footfall in the hospital due to the current high number of Covid-19 cases in the community. We need your support as a community to help us keep everyone safe by meeting these requirements.
"Access to visitors is limited to one person per patient each day, by appointment. Patients identify who they would like to visit and staff then telephone the nominated support person and offer a time slot. Children may not visit the hospital unless agreed in advance, on compassionate grounds, with the ward / unit manager.
"If you are a nominated support person (visitor ) for a patient in the hospital, we ask that you do not visit the hospital if you have any symptoms of Covid-19, have been in contact with anyone with Covid-19 or are awaiting the results of a Covid-19 test.
"We are grateful to the public for their ongoing co-operation in ensuring we can facilitate visiting in a safe manner to protect both patients and visitors."
