COVID No Visitor Policies Return at Shore, Cape Reg, AtlantiCare

Three of South Jersey's hospitals instituted a No Visitor policy on Thursday, updating   their restrictions based on an increasing COVID-19 infection spike in Atlantic and Cape May counties and around New Jersey.

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center campuses, Shore Medical Center in Somers Point and Cape Regional Hospital in Cape May Court House have all suspended visitation in accordance with the New Jersey Hospital Association’s protocols for hospitals.

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Shore Medical Center posted a message on Thursday about the policy change, saying it was regardless of vaccination status.

Shore Medical Center is implementing a NO VISITOR policy effective today, April 1, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. This is in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases in our region and to protect the health and wellbeing of our community, patients and staff.

 

AtlantiCare posted strict new limitations on most hospital visitations as well Thursday.

At this time we are not allowing inpatient, outpatient (surgeries, procedures, tests), or emergency patient visitation within our hospital campuses.

AtlantiCare has limited exceptions to their no visitor policy for patients with disabilities, pediatric or minor patients and labor and childbirth patients.

Cape Regional Medical Center issued similar new restrictions with a post on Facebook Thursday.

Due to the significant increase in the COVID-19 positivity rate in the State of New Jersey, Cape Regional Health System has implemented a no visitor policy effective Thursday, April 1, 2021.  This policy is necessary in order to protect our patients and staff.

The New York Times reports that COVID variant cases are, in large part, responsible for a 30% increase in new COVID cases in the last 14 days in Cape May County, an 11% increase in new cases in Atlantic County and an 18% increase in new cases in Cumberland County.

Even as the vaccination campaign has ramped up, the number of new infections in New Jersey has crept up by 37% in a little more than a month, to about 23,600 every seven days.

New Jersey has been reporting about 647 new cases for every 100,000 residents over the past 14 days and now ranks No. 1 in new infections per capita among U.S. states.