Visiting restrictions in place at hospital in Tullamore

Visiting restrictions have been put in place at local hospitals in a bid to deal with coronavirus outbreak.

The new measures came into force at the the Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore and Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise on Saturday, and will continue into next week and will be kept under review by health authorities.

These restrictions are being put in place due to infection control measures and to protect patients and staff in the Dublin Midlands Hospital Group.

A hospital spokesperson stated: “We are asking the public not to visit the hospital other than end of life situations and other exceptional circumstances as agreed with the ward manager in advance of visiting. To arrange a visit, families should telephone the hospital and request to speak to the relevant ward manager who will decide if a visit can be facilitated without compromising the welfare of the patients on the ward. Children in particular should not visit patients in hospital.

“We recognise that the visiting restrictions may be challenging for patients and their families, however, our priority must be to protect the patients in the hospital who are vulnerable to infection. We would like to thank members of the public for their co-operation.”

The Dublin Midlands Hospital Group includes: Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore, Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise, Naas General Hospital,

St Luke's Hospital, Rathgar and Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital.