The visitor ban has been imposed at Mercy University Hospital in Cork.
A visitor ban has been imposed at Mercy University Hospital (MUH) in Cork as an attempt to stop the spread of flu after a spike in the amount of patients suffering with flu-like symptoms.
According to RTÉ, visitor restrictions are also in place at other hospitals across the country including Cork University Hospital, the Mater Hospital in Dublin and University Hospital Waterford.
Over 40 people have recently been admitted to MUH with flu and 75% of the people presenting to the emergency department with flu-like symptoms are testing positive for the condition.
The ban on visitors does take exceptional circumstances into account.
The ban came into effect at 8.30pm on Friday night.
The situation is said to be being reviewed on a daily basis, and will remain in place until further notice.
MUH is the second largest hospital in Cork after Cork University Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has called for the HSE to meet with them on Sunday, to try to deal with what they have described as an overcrowding crisis at Cork’s two biggest hospitals.
2019 was confirmed as the worst-ever year for hospital overcrowding since records began – 9% higher than 2018.
The INMO points to “understaffing” and a “lack of capacity” as key drivers of overcrowding.
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