HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The HCA Houston Healthcare released new visitor policies at its hospitals Friday, in response to several coronavirus cases in the Houston area.
The new visitor policies will be implemented at its 13 hospitals in efforts to protect staff and patients at each facility.
"While we understand the importance of in-hospital patients having friends, family and loved ones by their side, this measure is a necessary step in order to protect our patient and colleagues," Dr. Mujtaba Ali-Khan said in a statement the center released Friday.
The policies are effective immediately. Each HCA Houston Healthcare hospital will allow two visitors at a time per patient. Visiting hours are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The new policy will allow one visitor to stay overnight with laboring mothers. NICU and pediatric patients.
"Our best advice is to limit visitation during this time," said Ali-Khan, the chief medical officer.
Entry points at each hospital will now have an employee to screen visitors based on the health system's protocols for identifying coronavirus. The screening process will also include a series a questions about recent travel and current health.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a tweet he is encouraging Houstonians to limit international travel for now, but also not to be paralyzed by fear.
Here are the total cases in our area:
Harris County- 2 Confirmed
Harris County -1 Presumptive
Houston-1 Confirmed, 1 Presumptive
Fort Bend County-1 Presumptive
Where are the coronavirus cases in the U.S.?
As the number of cases grows, health experts are working to keep myths about the virus at bay.
"The CDC specifically states on their website that people should not be wearing masks or buying masks right now if they're healthy because of several reasons. Number one: the CDC recommends wearing masks only if you're sick, and you should be staying home if you're sick," said Dr. Gabriella Bowden, associate professor of microbiology at University of Houston - Downtown.
If you want to learn more, a Children's Health Summit will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Harris County Department of Education on 6300 Irvington Blvd.
Then at noon, UTMB's Galveston campus will host a COVID-19 town hall.
Symptoms of COVID-19 are distinct, but somewhat similar to the flu, and include high fever, deep chest cough and difficulty breathing.
The county also released the following list of precautions you can take to keep you and your family safe.
RELATED LINKS:
What your child's school district is doing about coronavirus
Ways to protect you and your family in case of coronavirus outbreak in US