Two wards at Whangārei Hospital remain closed to visitors, due to the spread of Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses like the flu.

Ward 14, a medical ward, and ward 15, a rehabilitation and stroke ward, have been temporarily closed to visitors since August 11, due to the spread of viruses.

A review on Monday has extended the restrictions until at least Thursday, when the policy will be reviewed again.

Visiting on compassionate grounds will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

READ MORE:
* Covid-19: Whangārei Hospital closes two wards to visitors for second time
* Covid-19: Hospital visitors refusing to wear masks, ward outbreaks ‘unavoidable’
* Covid-19: Whangārei Hospital closes ward to visitors after rise in cases

This is the second time Whangārei Hospital has restricted visitors and ramped up infection control measures.

In July, the hospital’s ward 1, an orthopaedic ward, was closed to visitors for two weeks due to a rise in Covid-19 infections.

At the time, medics said hospital visitors who refused to wear masks or walked around wards visiting different patients made it difficult to manage the infections.

Te Whatu Ora – Te Tai Tokerau continues to urge visitors to any Northland hospital ward still open to stick to its rules to help patients recover.

This includes not visiting loved ones in hospital if unwell, until the visitor has fully recovered for at least 24 hours.

Just two nominated people can visit a patient, at separate times of the day, and a mask must be worn for the entire visit.

There were 112 new cases of Covid-19 notified in Northland on Monday, resulting in 1018 active cases and 30 people in hospital with the virus.