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Due to the continued spread of the highly contagious delta variant, Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin will reinstitute visitor policy restrictions in inpatient and outpatient settings, beginning Monday.

All visitors entering Mayo Clinic will be screened for respiratory illness, and required to comply with social distancing guidelines and wear a mask for the entirety of their visit. Visitors who do not comply with these requirements will be asked to leave.

Updated visitor restrictions:

Inpatient settings

• Patients may have two visitors.

• Visitors may not be rotated and must be at least five years of age or older.

• All visitors will be provided with a visitor ID badge.

• For adult care areas, visitors will not be allowed to physically sleep overnight in a patient room unless approved by hospital leadership.

• Any exceptions to the visitor policy will be reviewed and approved by hospital leadership or appointed designee.

• Visitor badges must be worn throughout the entirety of the visit.

Outpatient settings

• Patients can have two visitors.

• There are no age or rotation restrictions.

Additional measures essential to safety:

“The goal of this policy update is to limit COVID-19 exposures across the communities we serve,” said Sumit Bhagra, M.D., Site Lead Physician for Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin. “Safety remains Mayo Clinic’s top priority, and these measures are being reinstituted to protect patients, our staff, and our communities.”

Signage will also be posted at all points of entry into the hospital, clinic, and Emergency Department.