Northern Light EMMC Expands Visitor Hours

In mid December, an outbreak of the novel coronavirus happened at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center causing forty employees at the health care facility to test positive for COVID-19 along with eight patients.

Community transmission was getting higher and higher in the Bangor area and as a result, the hospital decided to limit visitation hours to just 2 hours per day, between 2 P.M. and 4 P.M.

Now, with the Maine CDC reporting 60% of Maine's population having received at least one dose of the vaccine, COVID-19 positive cases are decreasing, death rates are decreasing and statewide mandates on limits and restrictions are being lifted, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center are now changing their visitation hours to expand access to patients by friends and loved ones.

WABI-TV5 is reporting that the hospital will be adding 6 hours of visitation starting Wednesday, June 2nd. Visitors will be able to stop by between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. now with the new changes.

Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center is still keeping a few limits that were first introduced back in December, when a surge of positive cases were sweeping through the State of Maine.

These limits include continuation of wearing face masks when visiting as well as one visitor per patient a day. The facility is also asking visitors to consider the following when planning on visiting the Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center campus:

• You are healthy
• You are 18 years of age or older
• To stay in the room with the patient you are there to visit
• Fill out the contact tracing log with each exit and entrance of the patient's room