The New Era - All about Sweet Home since 1929

As hospitalizations due to COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses continue to decline in the region, Samaritan announced last week that it was relaxing some pandemic visitor restrictions and implementing a new visitor policy for hospital and mental health inpatients.

Medical-grade face masks are still required at all Samaritan hospitals, patient care departments and clinics, per Oregon Health Authority requirements.

Meanwhile, the visitor policy has been relaxed to allow each inpatient to designate two visitors and one or more support people, with one support person allowed at a time. This...