Mandatory wearing of face masks and visiting rules

The flu epidemic is intensifying, leading to an increase in the number of patients admitted to the hospital. Belgium is now in Code Orange. This means the following for the hospital:

• Basic Recommendations:
o Regularly disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based solution.
o Ventilate indoor spaces several times a day for a few minutes.
o Use disposable tissues or sneeze into your elbow and wash your hands afterward.

• Mask Wearing:
o Mandatory for all patients, companions, and visitors entering the hospital. Recommended for patients in shared (two-bed) rooms who are not alone, especially if they have respiratory symptoms.
o Exceptions apply to certain individuals (psychiatric patients, children under 12, confused patients, hearing-impaired patients who lip-read). No exceptions are allowed in the emergency department, intensive care, operating room, or during transport.

• Visits:
o Limited to two visitors per patient.

• Vaccination:
o Vaccination protects against severe forms of the disease but does not guarantee complete immunity from infection.
o Vaccinated individuals who contract a respiratory infection can still spread the virus for 5 to 10 days after symptom onset.

It is still not too late to get vaccinated against the flu this year.