Is it safe to wait at hospital during Covid-19?

dazzlingdiane · ‎09-04-2010

My husband is having hernia surgery at a hospital an hour away from our house. Will it be safe for me to wear a mask in the hospital to wait the several hours it will take for the surgery and the recovery? The surgery is only 30 min. but he will need to arrive at 6:30 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. surgery and will need time to recover from the anesthetic.

Icegoddess · ‎03-19-2010

My husband broke his nose in the middle of all this and I sat in the ER with him from midnight until 5:30 am and then again at another hospital a few weeks later to get it fixed. Originally, I was to leave him for his surgery, but when we got there they said it was okay for me to come in with him.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

I wouldn't hesitate to wait inside my local hospital.

riley1 · ‎03-10-2010

My hubby has had two procedures done within the last 8 weeks and I sat in the waiting area for him. Everything was spaced out and no problem.

mistyada · ‎03-09-2010

It depends on your hospital. Some hospitals still have no visitor policies.

eadu4 · ‎06-14-2011

If you feel comfortable and the hospital policy says you can remain, you should be fine. Stay masked, keep your distance and use the sanitizer. If you are uncomfortable then it will not be good for you, because not only will you be worried about your husband you will be worried about just being in the hospital and catching something. You need to decide if you will be comfortable. We can all give you our opinion but it comes down to hospital policy, and how you feel. You can always bring a book or something to do and wait in your car and just go in and periodically check on him and his progress.

World Traveler · ‎02-02-2015

The hospitals and other medical facilities in my area do not allow visitors or people to be with you when you have doctor appointments. They have to stay outside the facility.

A friend of mine was in the hospital and her family could not go in to see her. Her son brought her laptop to the hospital and a nurse met him outside the building. He had it in a plastic bag, handed it to the nurse, and she brought it into his mom's room, cleaning the outside of the bag and also wiping the laptop down before giving it to his mom.

happycat · ‎09-18-2010

My dad is having outpatient surgery in early October, none of us are allowed to stay in the waiting room. We have to stay in the car.

My father in law had a heart attack last month, he was at a different hospital, and he wasn't allowed to have visitors at all either.

If I could go in and wait, I would if it wasn't packed and I could stay away from folks and if everyone was wearing a mask.

Deree · ‎06-30-2018

It also depends on where you live, how large a city, how large the hospital is, how many people pass through in a day, the hospital population, etc. In my large city, there is too much traffic to keep on top of maintaining sterile conditions in a facility that deals with sick people. I have gotten sick from going to the ER on 2 occasions in my life, as well as during a hospital stay for 5 days, as well as during a 3 week stay in a rehab facility, so personally speaking, I wouldn't feel comfortable myself.

Wear a mask. Social distance. Be part of the solution - not part of the problem.

Tadaki · ‎03-10-2010

I agree that it will depend on the hospital and/or the doctor. A family member had surgery last April, and her doctor told me I could wait in the car or go home (which was close by), and he would call. He called with the results, and I got another call when she was ready to go home. She did have to stay overnight. I drove up to the door and they were there with her in the wheelchair.