The government of Alberta is restricting who can visit hospitals due to concerns over COVID-19.

Health officials say the decision to restrict visitation comes down to health and safety as hospitals house some of the most vulnerable people.

Under the new visitation rules, only one visitor will be allowed to see a patient at a time and they must be symptom free. In addition, children will not be permitted to visit except in extraordinary circumstances that will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.

Those who are in self-isolation and/or those waiting for results from a test for COVID-19 will not be allowed to visit. Anyone who tested positive for the virus will need to be cleared by a doctor before visiting.

“We recognize that this will likely be difficult for families and loved ones, but we must do all we can to minimize the risk of infection to our residents and staff,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw.

“COVID-19 has forced us to make some extremely difficult decisions. We have had to weigh lives against livelihoods and in order to save lives, I have had to make recommendations that will take away livelihoods from many Albertans for the next several weeks to months.”

As of Thursday, there are 146 cases of COVID-19 in Alberta. Of these cases, five are currently hospitalized, two admitted to intensive care units (ICU), and one patient has died.