Island Health is highlighting an important amendment to the Provincial Acute Care Visitor Policy that will protect vulnerable patients and care providers by helping to keep COVID-19 and variants out of our facilities. Effective Tuesday, November 9, 2021, visitors to Island Health hospitals will need to be fully vaccinated, and show proof of vaccination, to enter.
Visitors who do not demonstrate they are fully vaccinated will not be able to enter a facility, including passing through to access an outdoor space, with a few exclusions:
- young children who do not have access to COVID-19 vaccine (currently under age 12), and
- individuals who have an approved medical exemption for COVID-19 vaccine from the province.
In certain care settings and situations, requirement for visitors to be vaccinated may be waived. These exceptions include:
- visits as a support person to the Emergency Department (1 person allowed);
- visits to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (1 person allowed)
- visits for critical illness/end-of-life (more than 1 may be permitted); and
- visits for pediatric care, labour and delivery (more than 1 may be permitted).
For more details on the Provincial Acute Visitor Policy, see the guidelines for visitation.
For more information about visiting someone in hospital in Island Health, visit: www.islandhealth.ca.
To read more about proof of vaccination and to obtain your BC Vaccine Card, visit: www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/covid-19/vaccine.