Erie Shores HealthCare implements 'no visitors' policy

Erie Shores HealthCare(ESHC) in Leamington is instituting a temporary 'no visitors' policy starting this Thursday.

Hospital officials say the decision was made in order to protect both patients and staff.

"This was not an easy decision, and ESHC can appreciate this will cause anxiety and stress for our patients and their loved ones," a statement from the hospital explained.

"However, it was necessary as COVID cases rise in Ontario."

It went on to say that the latest surge is putting unprecedented pressure on capacity within the hospital system.

There are some exceptions to this policy, including one visit by one visitor to a dying patient and one support person for a woman in labour.

This announcement comes a day after Windsor Regional Hospital changed its visitation policy to no longer allow visits with patients who have a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, with some limited exceptions.

Meanwhile, the province reported another 8,825 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Updated Windsor-Essex numbers weren't provided on Tuesday; the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit said last week it would not release any new case number data until Dec. 29, due to the holidays.

The previous health unit update was Thursday, when 105 new cases, and one new death, were announced.