Franciscan St. Elizabeth hospitals to lift visitor restrictions

GREATER LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Some local hospitals will be lifting their visitor restrictions this week that were put in place during the major flu activity the area saw last month.

Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health says the restrictions enacted in January – including at Lafayette Central, Lafayette East and Crawfordsville – will be lifted at the end of this week.

According to Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health Infection Control Nurse Laura Aschenberg, although the flu virus is still present, it isn’t as rampant as it was in January.

“Influenza is still active in the community,” Aschenberg said. “But (it) has decreased enough that we can stop our restrictions.”

Vice President for Medical Affairs Dr. Donald Edelen said regular hospital visitation policies will resume Friday. Normal visiting hours for most units run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“We strongly urge everyone to continue to protect themselves and others against the flu and other respiratory illness by exercising good hand hygiene and covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze,” Aschenberg said. “Flu season is not over and we continue to monitor the spread of the virus. We are thankful for everyone’s support in protecting our patients and the community.”

Meanwhile, IU Health Arnett spokeswoman Carrie North says although IU Health Arnett also continually urged caution surrounding the flu bug, its medical facilities never had formal visitor restrictions set in place.