Visiting times at University Hospital Galway and Merlin Park Hospital will change on Tuesday 3 August, when the afternoon visiting slot is scrapped in favour of an extra hour in the evening.
From Tuesday, both hospitals will be allowing one visitor per patient each day between 6pm and 8pm.
These visits must be arranged by family members or visitors in advance by contacting the relevant ward or Unit.Â
Ms Chris Kane, Hospital Manager at Galway University Hospitals, explained that the afternoon visiting time introduced in June resulted in long queues of visitors waiting to get into the hospital.
“In order to help us manage the volume of people in the hospital and maintain social distancing, we are changing to a two-hour visiting time every evening,” said Ms Kane.
“This should be more convenient for people who want to visit after work and for ease of parking.”
Ms Kane reminded visitors that they must complete a COVID-19 screening checklist on entry to the hospital, and that they must follow public health guidance including wearing a surgical mask and performing good hand hygiene regularly during their visit to the hospital.
 “Children are not permitted to visit the hospital at this time unless agreed in advance, on compassionate grounds, with the ward manager.
“We are grateful to the public for their co-operation in ensuring we can facilitate visiting in a safe manner to protect both patients and visitors,” she added.
Details on maternity department visiting are available here.
