Hospitals Near Millburn Update Visitor Rules Amid NJ COVID Rise

NORTHERN NJ — As coronavirus cases throughout the Garden State rise to the highest levels seen since spring, some local hospitals are setting aside wings to treat the virus as they did in spring, as well as revising their visitor hours and stocking up on PPE.

Statewide, at least six New Jersey hospitals have been on partial "divert" status as they deal with too many coronavirus cases and other issues. This status usually means that hospitals send notice to incoming ambulances to bring patients to other local medical care facilities. Read more: At Least 6 NJ Hospitals On 'Divert' Status As COVID-19 Cases Rise

Those hospitals are AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, East Orange General Hospital, Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro, St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro, and Virtua in Voorhees.

Over the weekend, the state of New Jersey said it had confirmed the highest number of new cases since in April. On Sunday, the State of New Jersey reported 18 new fatalities since the day before, and a record high of 4,540 new cases, following 4,395 positive cases on Saturday. Before that, the highest one-day total was 4,391 on April 17.

Hospitalizations have risen past 1,500 statewide, the governor said.

Here are some other updates on hospitals in Essex and Union counties:

Overlook

Among them, Overlook Medical Center in Summit has updated guidance on visiting hours and other procedures.

Starting last week, visiting hours for Overlook Medical Center were from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hospital visitors will be required to complete temperature and symptom screening upon entering the facility, including a travel inquiry. If the visitor does not pass any element of the screening, they will not be permitted to visit. If they pass, they will be limited to visit non-COVID patients/units only.

All visitors arriving from states or countries under a travel advisory that requires a 14-day quarantine upon arrival to New Jersey, will not be permitted to enter an Atlantic Health System facility. All visitors must be 18 years of age or older except for the rare exception as determined by the facility.

The hospital strongly recommends inpatients be limited to one healthy visitor per day.

Read more about those rules here.

Those policies also include Chilton, Hackettstown, Newton and Morristown medical centers, as well as Goryeb Children’s Hospital.

Barnabas hospitals

RWJBarnabas Health hospitals include St. Barnabas Medical Center, Jersey City Medical Center, Children's Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, among others.

Christopher Freer, the Senior Vice President for Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine for RWJBarnabas Health, said:

"Across the RWJBarnabas Health system, we have begun to see a steady increase in the number of patients being hospitalized at our facilities with COVID. An upward trending of positive COVID cases in the late fall and winter had been predicted, and our facilities are well prepared to handle the influx."

He noted, "We have been stockpiling personal protective equipment and medications; we have developed a re-distribution plan for staffing and have contracted for additional nurses; and we have also increased testing capacity enabling us to rapidly diagnose those with COVID and separate them from other patients. At this time, our hospitals in the northern region, including those in Essex County, are seeing the greater increase in COVID patient volume."

He said, "We urge all community members to get a flu shot if they have not done so already, as this will provide increased protection from the seasonal flu virus and help keep our emergency departments and hospital beds available. It is also critically important to continue to exercise precautionary measures including wearing a mask in public places, washing your hands often and social distancing of 6 feet or more from others.

"If you or a loved one have any signs or symptoms of COVID, reach out to your primary care physician for appropriate medical guidance."

Read about the hospitals' safety measures, medically necessary and elective procedures, and more here, and look at the bar on the right side for information about visitor guidelines and virtual visits.

Trinitas

To find out about changes at Trinitas hospitals, click here.

Check with your local hospital before heading over, to get the most up-to-date rules and restrictions.

Russ Crespolini contributed to this story.

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