Schneck Medical Center has implemented visitor restrictions, effective Saturday, March 12, to help protect patients, staff, and the community from the spread of influenza.

Stephanie Furlow, the Seymour’s hospital’s director of marketing and public relations, says that no more than three visitors may be admitted to a patient’s room at one time. She adds that visitors must be at least 18-years-old and must be immediate family and significant others as identified by the patient.

Anyone with the following symptoms is asked to refrain from visiting patients:

• Fever and/or chills
• Sore throat
• Muscle aches
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea

Furlow adds that all visitors must wash their hands or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before, and after, visiting a patient. Hospital officials say that hand sanitizer can be found throughout the hospital, as well as outside each patient’s room.

“We’ve seen an increase in the number of people with flu-like symptoms in the last few weeks,” said Anita Reecer, Infection Preventionist at Schneck.

Reecer urged the public to get the flu vaccine as soon as possible in order to protect themselves for the rest of the season.