MUSC issues new coronavirus related restrictions and guidelines

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Officials with the Medical University of South Carolina have issued new coronavirus related restrictions and guidelines for visitors to the hospital.

MUSC officials say they are discouraging visits by people who do not have to be on site, especially people who were recently in an area where there’s been a high level of transmission of the coronavirus that causes the disease COVID-19.

In addition, effective today, MUSC will screen all visitors at points of entry to the hospital.

According to MUSC, it will be a symptom-based screen where officials will ask visitors if they’ve experienced fever, cough or shortness of breath in the previous 48 hours.

“For any visitor who is well and hasn’t experienced any of these symptoms, they’ll be able to visit our hospital as they normally would,” MUSC officials said."For visitors who are experiencing these symptoms, we will kindly ask them not to visit MUSC Health and to leave and head back home and recover there."

MUSC will work with symptomatic visitors with extenuating circumstances such as having a gravely ill loved one, by asking them to wear a mask throughout their time in the hospital, a press release from the hospital stated.

Children under 12 are strongly discouraged, but not prohibited, from visiting patients.

Additionally, MUSC is now prohibiting all MUSC-sponsored and affiliated international travel until further notice.

“That affects students, residents, fellows, faculty members and all other MUSC and MUSC Health employees. MUSC is also strongly discouraging out-of-state travel for employees, students, residents and fellows, encouraging them to use alternative ways of communicating and meeting, such as teleconferencing,” hospital officials said.