Several hospitals throughout Ireland have put in place visiting bans as Covid patients in hospitals surge.
University Hospital Limerick (UHL) announced on Sunday it would be imposing the ban due to a "very high" number of patients being treated for Covid-19 within the hospital, with Nenagh General Hospital announcing a similar ban on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for UL Hospital Group, which runs both hospitals, said: "This is due to very high levels of Covid positive patients in UHL and the high level of community transmission.
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"The decision has been taken to help keep all patients and staff safe, and to ensure that the hospital's essential services can remain open at this time."
Figures released by the HSE on Monday showed there were 86 patients with Covid in UHL, six of whom were being treated in the hospital's ICU.
There was also an "increased level of Covid-related activity" within Nenagh General Hospital, the spokesperson added.
Some groups will be exempt from the visiting ban, including parents visiting children in hospital, people assisting confused patients, and visiting on compassionate grounds, including for patients who are critically unwell or at end of life.
"Exemptions are limited to one person per patient and will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.
"In cases where exemptions apply, we strongly recommend that you are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before coming to the hospital to minimise risks to you, our patients and staff," the spokesperson said.
"We advise also that people should not visit relatives or loved ones outdoors in the grounds of the hospital, as this can also present a Covid-19 transmission risk," he said.
"The situation is being monitored on a daily basis, and hospital management hope to reintroduce visiting to relatives of inpatients as soon as it is safe to do so.
"We wish to reassure patients and their loved ones that all appropriate infection control precautions are being followed to minimise the risk of spreading infection among staff and patients within our health facilities, and also within the wider community.
"All other services in the hospital continue to operate as normal," the spokesperson added.
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