Visitor policies

Information about visiting a patient or accompanying an outpatient

This page last updated 11/30/2020

General visitor restrictions:

Two visitors will need to be registered by each patient before visiting (the Pavilion information desk will have a record of the designated visitors). Then, only one of the pre-identified visitors at a time will be allowed to visit the patient.

For the two pre-registered visitors, these loved ones are only allowed if they do not have symptoms of illness (such as fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath). Additionally, children under the age of 16 are not allowed.

The visitor will be welcomed between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and the visitor must stay in the room with the patient during the visit. However, the visitor will be permitted to briefly access the cafeteria, while practicing physical distancing and keeping time spent in the public spaces brief. The visitor will also be required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (usually a face mask) for the entire time and length of the visit.

A patient may only have one visitor present at a time, with exceptions for the following:

• Children undergoing surgery may have two loved ones during surgery.
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients may have one birth parent plus one significant other who must remain in the room for the duration of the visit.
• Pediatric Intensive Care patients may have two loved ones, either parents or guardians. They must remain in the room during the visit.
• Patients who are at the end-of-life may have two loved ones.
• At this time, Labor and Delivery patients may have one support person/partner. View our birth center visitor page

Emergency Department visitor restrictions:

No visitors are allowed in Emergency Department except:

• If the patient is under 18 years old or over 65 years old – if so, they may have one visitor at the bedside
• Patients for whom death is expected (patients receiving comfort care), or with a life-threatening diagnosis
• Patients in the Admission Pathway area – these patients may have one visitor at bedside, during visiting hours only (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
• Patients who have been admitted and have been in the ED more than 24 hours – these patients may have one visitor at bedside, during visiting hours only (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)
• Patients where a caregiver provider is part of patient safety and decision making
  • Physical (requires assistance for any activities of daily living – cane, walker, wheelchair)
  • Cognitive (history of Alzheimer's diagnosis, dementia)
  • Disruptive behavior (traumatic brain injury, autism)
  • Altered mental status (confused or developmentally delayed)

** Any visitors allowed by this policy must stay at bedside and not in the waiting room.

Ambulatory Clinics, Laboratory and Radiology:

Patients who have an appointment at UC Davis ambulatory clinics, laboratory, or radiology may have one loved one with them. Masking policies will be in place for the entire time and length of the visit. 

View our outpatient policy for caregivers at UC Davis Health clinics

Are there restrictions for a visitor entering the hospital?

In any situation, the visitor will be screened before each visit for symptoms of illness, i.e., fever, cough, sore throat, etc. The visitor will be required to wear a mask for the entire visit. 

Visitors must stay in their patient's room for the entire time of the visit. Visitors are permitted to access the cafeteria, and are encouraged and expected to practice social distancing, and to keep the time in public spaces brief. The hospital’s information desk in the Pavilion will be given a list of patients who qualify to have visitors.

What are other options besides in-person visiting?

• Call the patient on a cell phone
• Use video calling services like FaceTime or Skype
• Use instant messaging services like Facebook Messenger or Snapchat
• Call the patient’s room through the main hospital switchboard at 916-734-2011.

UC Davis Health can provide an iPad for a patient to video call loved ones (via Zoom or other digital platforms).

Why are you restricting visitors?

Our care philosophy has always emphasized family and loved ones as part of the healing process. However, due to the ongoing community spread of COVID-19 and the local public health emergencies, we must take extra steps to protect our patients, staff, visitors and the community.

The decision to restrict visitors was difficult and made only after very careful considerations. With group spread within families now one of the main ways the virus is currently being transmitted, we are working to balance the needs of families with the need to protect other patients and health care workers from virus spread. Nearly every patient in the hospital is at an elevated level of risk for complications from COVID-19.

The California Department of Public Health recently adopted similar guidelines to UC Davis Health's pediatric visitor guidelines.

What are coronavirus and COVID-19?

Coronavirus are a family of viruses that cause illnesses from the common cold to SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). Symptoms include fever, shortness of breath and other flu-like symptoms. 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which was first discovered in Wuhan, China, has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

For more information, please visit our coronavirus information and resources page.

Our goal

Our goal in introducing these visitor restrictions is to protect you, your loved ones, other patients in the hospital and our staff. Patient and public safety are always our top priorities. Thank you again for your understanding during this difficult time.