More restrictions at the University Maternity Hospital Limerick, where many Tipperary women attend, will be lifted from this afternoon.
From today, partners will be allowed to accompany women at their 12-week scan.
Allowing partners into the 12-week scan, often the first scan for many women, followed on from guidance issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre on the 12 week scan and c sections.
UMHL already allow partners to attend for both elective and emergency c sections.
They also allow partners to attend for emergency high risk admissions, the labour ward throughout labour and delivery, for anomaly scans, Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit appointments, to both the ante natal and post natal wards for 45 minute time slots and to the Neonatal ICU for half hour slots.
These allowances are permitted after a Covid 19 questionnare and temperature screening are both completed and stand regardless of vaccination status.
A spokesperson for the hospital said that they continue to review their safety measures on a weekly basis.
They added that when deciding to implement or relax restrictions that they consider the rate of Covid transmission locally, the number of staff in the hospital, as well as the possibility of some of them becoming unwell and the infrastructure of the hospital itself.
A spokesperson said; “While these restrictions have been difficult, they have been necessary, and effective. We are grateful for the cooperation of our patients and their families and the broader community. Thanks to their sacrifices, they ensured there has been no outbreak of Covid 19 in UMHL.”
