Visitor Restrictions in Place

Duke Health Hospital Locations (Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, and Duke Raleigh Hospital)

All visitors will be screened daily and required to wear a mask while in the hospital.

• Visitation hours are from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm daily.
• When entering the building, visitors will be asked to show a form of photo identification.
• Visitors who are over age 65, pregnant or immunocompromised are discouraged from visiting. 

Adult inpatients may designate two visitors age 18 or older for the entire length of stay in the hospital.

• Adult surgical inpatients will be allowed two designated visitors age 18 or older to join the patient after their procedure and after they are placed in their inpatient room.

Two parents/guardian designated visitors ages 18 or older may stay with a patient in a pediatric area in the hospital.

• Pediatric surgical patients are allowed two parents/guardian designated visitors ages 18 or older. Both of these visitors will be allowed in either the designated waiting areas or the surgical patient care area. 

Laboring mothers may designate two visitors, age 12 or older, which could include a doula. After birth, patients may designate two visitors for the entire length of stay in the hospital. Visiting hours do not apply to these visitors.

Emergency Department patients may designate one visitor age 12 or older as capacity allows. Visiting hours do not apply to visitors in the Emergency Department.

There will be no visitors for COVID-19 patients or patients under investigation for COVID-19 in adult units, with exceptions made for end-of-life care. Inpatients with COVID-19 or patients under investigation for COVID-19 in pediatric units or maternity units may have two parents/guardian designated visitors ages 18 or older in the hospital with one of these designated visitors permitted in the patient’s room at a time.

As a reminder, all visitors must follow the additional restrictions below. No visitor with fever, cough, cold, or flu-like symptoms will be permitted to enter.

One overnight visitor age 18 or older is permitted for inpatients on adult units. Two overnight visitors ages 18 or older are permitted for inpatients in pediatric units.

• The overnight visitor must have completed their health screening by 9:00 pm.
• Visitors are recommended to remain in the patient’s room overnight. The overnight visitor must stay in the hospital. Re-entry will not be permitted until visitation hours begin again at 9:00 am. the following day.
• Overnight visitation is not permitted in shared patient rooms.
• If a visitor stays overnight and would like to stay the following day, they must be re-screened and receive a new identification badge by noon the following day.

Exceptions may be made only under special circumstances, such as end-of-life care, with approval by the patient’s care team and leadership.

Outpatient surgical patients are allowed one designated visitor to accompany them to facilitate care for a procedure or same-day surgery. This visitor will be allowed in either the designated waiting areas or the surgical patient care area.

Outpatient pediatric surgical patients are allowed two parents/guardian visitors. Both of these visitors will be allowed in the surgical patient care area during pre-operative and post-operative care.

Visitors will be screened alongside patients.

One designated visitor age 18 or older is allowed to accompany each adult patient to an appointment. Two parent/guardian designated visitors ages 18 or older are allowed to accompany each pediatric patient to an appointment. Exceptions to this policy include:

• An additional aide, assistant, or caregiver may accompany a patient when their presence is required.
• An additional child/sibling under the age of 18 may accompany the patient when a caregiver has no other reasonable option for childcare.
• An additional child/sibling may accompany the patient when a caregiver has no other reasonable option for childcare.

Any prior location/clinic-specific restrictions may continue to apply.

All visitors will be screened alongside patients and must follow the restrictions below. 

All visitors will wear masks in addition to our team members and patients who can tolerate them. Visitors may bring their own masks or one will be provided.

If visitors are feeling ill, they should refrain from visiting. No visitor with fever, cough, cold, or flu-like symptoms will be permitted to enter.

All visitors will be screened. These screenings require everyone to sanitize their hands, put on a mask and answer questions about symptoms of illness and exposure risks prior to entering the facility. Based on the results of this screening, visitors will be welcomed into the facility or asked to return to their car with instructions to follow up with their health care provider.

No one should visit a patient if they have come into contact with someone who is under investigation or tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days.

Visitors should maintain six feet of distance from individuals outside their household while eating or drinking.

Visitors should avoid eating or drinking in patient rooms, waiting rooms, or lobbies, as these are high-risk activities for the spread of infection.

We encourage you to use virtual means, such as FaceTime and Skype, to connect with your loved ones in place of in-person communication when possible.

We recognize these restrictions may be difficult for you and your loved ones. This is a challenging time. The visitor policy is intended to provide additional safeguards for our patients, families, visitors, and team members. Thank you for your understanding and support of our commitment to safety.

We are taking precautions to keep everyone safe and protected from possible exposure to COVID-19 during appointments, surgeries, and procedures at our hospitals and clinics. We are confident we can provide safe, essential care. The well-being of our patients, visitors, and staff remains our top priority. Learn about the safety precautions we have in place.