Public reminded of ongoing visitor ban at local hospitals

UL Hospitals Group are reminding the public that the visitor ban remains in place at its six facilities in the mid west.

The ban was introduced in early March to contain the spread of Covid-19, affecting Nenagh General and University Hospital Limerick, as well as four other sites in the region.

Despite this week’s easing of restrictions, the visitor ban remains in place due to the risk of a second wave of the virus.

Exceptions to the ban include parents visiting children in hospital and partners in the delivery ward of Limerick’s Maternity Hospital.


UL Hospitals Group statement – May 20th, 2020

UL Hospitals Group has reminded the public of the Mid-West that the ban on visiting at its six hospital sites remains in place, to help protect the safety of our staff and patients during the ongoing Covid-19 public health emergency.

The visiting ban introduced in early March at University Hospital Limerick, University Maternity Hospital Limerick, St John’s Hospital, Nenagh Hospital, Ennis Hospital and Croom Orthopaedic Hospital is unaffected by the activation this week of Phase 1 in the five-phase reopening Ireland’s society and economy.

UL Hospitals Group welcomes the beginning of emergence from the restrictions of the past two months. We regret the distress or inconvenience our visiting ban causes for patients and their loved ones, but it is necessary to keep the ban in place while the risk of a second wave of Covid-19 remains present.

The reasons for limiting movement within our hospitals remain as urgent as they were when the visiting ban was introduced in early March – to minimise the risk of spreading the coronavirus infection among staff and patients within our health facilities, and also within the wider community.

The only exceptions to the ban are as follows:

  • Parents visiting children in hospital
  • Birthing partners of women in the delivery ward only at University Maternity Hospital Limerick
  • People assisting confused patients (e.g. dementia)
  • People visiting patients who are critically unwell or at end of life (on a case-by-case basis)

All these exemptions are limited to one person per patient only.