VISITING restrictions are in place at University Hospital Limerick in an effort to manage an outbreak of Covid-19.

Three wards are currently affected but UL Hospitals Group, as a precautionary measure, is restricting visiting on all inpatient wards at UHL.

Restrictions on visits to the Emergency Department, Acute Surgical Assessment Unit, and Acute Medical Assessment Unit at UHL also remain in force.

The only exceptions to the visiting ban are: parents visiting children in hospital; people assisting confused patients, e.g. dementia, (on a case-by-case basis); people visiting patients who are critically unwell or at end of life (on a case-by-case basis). All these exemptions are limited to one person per patient only.

A spokesperson for the group said, “We regret any inconvenience this visiting ban causes for patients and their loved ones. Our outbreak control team has convened and hospital management has decided it is now necessary to impose these measures in the interests of patient safety and keeping essential services open for all our patients.

“We wish to reassure patients and their loved ones that all appropriate infection control precautions are being followed to minimise the risk of spreading infection among staff and patients within our health facilities, and also within the wider community.”

“We are also appealing to members of the public not to visit their relatives/loved ones outdoors on the grounds of the hospital as this can also present a Covid-19 transmission risk.”