Following a rise in flu cases and other respiratory illnesses so far this winter, UNC Health hospitals across North Carolina are implementing temporary visitor restrictions at their facilities.
The statewide health system shared a media release on Friday outlining the changes, which will go into effect on Monday, Jan. 5 at the latest. In the Triangle, that includes the UNC Hospital locations in Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, as well as UNC Health Chatham in Siler City, UNC Health Rex in Raleigh and Holly Springs, and UNC Health Johnston’s two campuses.
“These temporary precautions are necessary to ensure the health and safety of our patients, visitors and teammates,” read the alert. “UNC health leaders recognize the strain that such restrictions can place on our patients and their loved ones. We strive to balance the need for seasonal visitor restrictions with the importance of allowing family and loved ones to visit patients – a critical part of the healing process.”
Under the temporary changes, visitors 11 years old and younger — as well as visitors of any ages with respiratory symptoms — are prohibited from all inpatient areas and waiting rooms. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis for visiting terminal care patients, critical care situations and urgent admissions. Healthy visitors of any age remain welcome in UNC Health’s lobbies and retail/food locations.
During the temporary restrictions, UNC Health staffers in their emergency departments, ICUs, stepdown units, and oncology units will be required to wear masks while providing direct patient care. Patients and visitors in those units are also “strongly encouraged” to wear masks, according to the alert.
UNC Health said its infectious diseases experts will continue monitoring local, regional and statewide data of respiratory illness cases to best adjust their safety precautions based on the latest trends. Friday’s release also said the health system’s experts urge everyone “to use common sense public health measures, including getting vaccinated against the flu, hand hygiene, staying home if you’re sick, and more.”
The visitor restrictions mirror what UNC Health implemented in both Jan. 2023 and Jan. 2025 after increases of influenza, RSV and COVID-19 cases at their hospitals. In both years, the restrictions were rolled back in March after the amount of new cases arriving for treatment decreased.
The rise of respiratory illnesses is charted on The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Respiratory Case dashboard, which pulls data from the syndromic surveillance system NC DETECT. As of the week of Dec. 27, nearly a quarter of all patients visiting emergency rooms in the state reported acute respiratory virus symptoms — with 16.5% percent specifically reporting flu-like symptoms. It marks a steep increase compared to the prior week (nearly 18% of all emergency room visits) and was the eighth consecutive week of an increasing percentage.
Featured photo by Dakota Moyer/Chapel Hill Media Group.
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