Over the weekend, Floyd Medical Center announced that they will begin limiting visitors for patients at their medical facilities starting today. 

The new limitations are in place for Floyd Medical Center in Rome along with Polk Medical Center and Cherokee County Medical Center in Alabama.

Visitation hours at Floyd Medical Center, Polk Medical Center, and Cherokee Medical Center will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. One designated visitor per hospitalized patient will be permitted, with some exceptions. Visitation may be further limited if visitors cannot be safely seated at least six feet apart.

Requests for additional visitors due to special circumstances, such as end-of-life, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“Floyd has made the difficult decision to restrict visitors due to the rise in COVID patients in our community and the increased number of hospitalized patients,” said Dr. Sheila Bennett, Executive Vice President and Chief of Patient Services at Floyd. “Visitors are important to our patients and we hope to remove the restrictions as soon as can be accomplished safely.”

Floyd will also be screening visitors as they come into the hospital.

Northwest Georgia has seen a major uptick in positive COVID cases over the past two weeks that has prompted the move by Floyd Medical Center.