Visiting hours return to normal at Sarasota Memorial Hospital

Visiting hours are returning to normal at Sarasota Memorial Hospital beginning today.

The hospital resumed 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. visiting hours for most patients on Friday morning. The return to normal was prompted by a drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and a rise in the rate of vaccinations locally.

Most patients will be allowed two bedside visitors at a time, though SMH is still restricting visitors for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, with exceptions for extraordinary circumstances such as end-of-life situations. 

“With all of the positive trends we are seeing in the community, and the extra protection afforded by the COVID-19 vaccines, we felt it was time to welcome more visitors back into our hospital,” said Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota Campus President Lorrie Liang. “Having friends and family members at the bedside is an important part of the healing process.”

In general, visitors must be age 16 or older. Certain departments, including the Mother-Baby Unit, Critical Care and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, have department-specific guidelines people should check before visiting. In the Mother-Baby Unit, for example, siblings may visit from 3 to 5 pm daily, and one visitor may stay overnight. 

The hospital is maintaining a universal masking policy for all staff, providers and visitors in public and patient-care areas of its facilities, as well as many other pandemic protocols as it continues to monitor transmission rates of the virus in the region.