The flu bug has hit the Sarnia area and Bluewater Health wants to stop it from spreading.
The Sarnia hospital has restricted visiting hours to 11am to 8pm each day compared to the normal 24-hour time frame. Medicine Unit A will also be limited to one visitor at a time, while Unit B will be reduced to two visitors.
Spokesperson Julia Oosterman says it's important to take these measures to decrease the chances of others becoming sick.
"When we do see a lot of illness in the community, we really try to make sure we use all the risk mitigation at our fingertips," says Oosterman. "Absolutely you should be coming in to visit your loved ones, but make sure you yourself aren't ill and inadvertently spreading [that illness]."
The number of influenza cases locally has jumped to 22, up from just one in the area before the Christmas break.
Oosterman reminds visitors to always use hand-sanitizer when coming to or going from the hospital to protect yourself and others from getting sick.
In the past, these types of visitor restrictions have lasted a couple of weeks.
