TAMPA, Fla. — Many Bay Area hospitals are tightening their visitation rules starting Tuesday due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. 

What You Need To Know

At BayCare’s 14 hospitals, patients will only be allowed one adult visitor per day. All visitors must wear a mask regardless of their vaccination status and can only walk to and from the patient’s room. 

Also starting Tuesday, Baycare’s six Hillsborough County hospitals will pause all elective procedures. The hospitals impacted are: St. Joseph’s, St. Joseph’s Children’s and St. Joseph’s Women’s in Tampa; St. Joseph’s North in Lutz; St. Joseph’s South in Riverview; and South Florida Baptist in Plant City.

In Manatee County, no visitors will be permitted at Manatee Memorial Hospital or Lakewood Ranch Medical Center in their inpatient nursing units. That rule extends to emergency room visits at Manatee Memorial. 

The two Manatee County hospitals have limited exceptions to their no-visitor policy which include Labor & Delivery, where the new mom may have one support person, patients undergoing surgery, and end-of-life visits. ​