Attend Hospital Appointments As Normal But Some Restrictions On Hospital Visitors Under Alert Level 2

Outpatients should attend hospital appointments as normal but some restrictions on hospital visitors will apply as the Bay of Plenty goes into Alert Level 2.

With cases of COVID-19 identified in the Auckland community, the Bay of Plenty has been moved to Alert Level 2 but there is no disruption to hospital services.

“Anyone with an Outpatients Appointment should attend as normal,” said Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) Incident Controller Karen Smith. “Entry to the hospitals is only through the front entrances and you will be asked to sign in using the COVID-19 QR Code or fill in a tracing form.”

Hospital visitor policy

To keep hospital staff and patients safe, there are some visitor access restrictions to Tauranga and Whakatāne hospitals at Alert Level 2. These are as follows:

• Visitor hours 8am- 8pm
• All visitors to be health screened at main entrance to ensure they are well
• All visitors to scan in or fill in contact tracing forms

High Risk areas

• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) / High Dependency Unit (HDU) / Acute Care Unit (ACU) / Mental Health & Addiction Services two (2) approved visitors per patient per day.

Maternity

• Labour and birth - two (2) nominated support persons.
• Following birth, one (1) nominated support person at a time may visit once daily and stay as long as the woman wants.
• Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) - Mothers and one nominated support person per day (same person each day and not at the same time as the mother).
• All other hospital areas – one visitor at a time per patient, and a maximum of two visitors per day.

Restrictions will remain until Wednesday at midnight. A further announcement on next steps will be made by then.

Are you experiencing COVID-19 symptoms?

Stay at home if you are feeling unwell and, if you are experiencing symptoms, please contact your GP or call Healthline. Both are available for healthcare advice 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you are calling your GP afterhours your call will still be answered by a Registered Nurse.

Symptoms include:

• a new or worsening cough
• a fever of at least 38°C
• shortness of breath
• sore throat
• sneezing and runny nose
• temporary loss of smell.

These symptoms do not necessarily mean you have COVID-19. The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as colds and flu. Shortness of breath is a sign of possible pneumonia and requires immediate medical attention.

Additional Eastern Bay testing capacity

A testing centre offering additional testing capacity this week has been established at Warren Park Car Park, Brabant Street (off Peace Street), in Whakatāne. The hours are:

• Tuesday 16 February 2:30pm – 7:30pm
• Wednesday 17 February 2:30pm – 7:30pm
• Thursday 18 February 2:30pm – 7:30pm
• Friday 19 February 2:30pm – 7:30pm
• Saturday 20 February 10am – 4pm

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