COVID-19 Resource Center / Visitor Policy
Visitor Policy
Updated on 3/29/24
Masking requirement update starting April 1
Last fall, Bay Area county health departments announced masking requirements for health care settings in preparation for the 2023/2024 cold and flu season. Below are updates to each county's masking requirements:
- Santa Clara County: Effective April 1, 2024, patients and visitors will no longer be required to mask on entry.
- Alameda, San Mateo, and Contra Costa Counties: Effective April 1, 2024, patients and visitors will no longer be required to mask on entry. However, special masking requirements for health care professionals in inpatient settings and infusion centers will remain in place until May 1, 2024.
- San Francisco County: Masking remains mandatory in all health care facilities within this county until further notice.
While masks are no longer required in most areas, Stanford Medicine still strongly recommend wearing one when inside and encourages visitors to be fully vaccinated. Some departments, including those that serve high-risk patients, may continue to require masking.
Masks will be available upon entry to any health care facility. Anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms are required to mask within our facilities, regardless of county specific requirements. Symptoms include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Visitors or caregivers may be asked to step outside if the area becomes too crowded.
Visitors who do not follow these rules and that may endanger the health or safety of patients or staff will be asked to leave and may have future visitation revoked.
Need a COVID-19 Test or Vaccine?
For Stanford Health Care patients
Contact your primary care provider
For non-Stanford Health Care patients
Check your county for local testing and vaccination sites
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley maintains an independent visitor policy.
Elevator Modernization at 200 Pasteur Drive Visitor Parking Garage
There is limited elevator service currently available at the Pasteur visitor parking garage due to planned upgrades. Please allow extra time to get to your appointment or hospital visit. Golf cart service will be available to patients and visitors between 6:00 am – 10:00 pm when the elevators are not in service.
Visitor Information
Visiting hours: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
For patients in a shared (semi-private) room, visiting hours and rules may be different.
Stanford Medicine strongly encourages visitors to be fully vaccinated. Please do not enter to visit if you have any of the following symptoms listed above.
Please be mindful of high-risk and immune-compromised patients. Wear a mask at all times. Masks will be provided for those who do not have one at the welcome desk and check-in area.
Use hand sanitizer when you enter and leave the patient's room.
- Visitors must self-monitor for symptoms and not to enter our health care facilities if they have symptoms that may be related to COVID-19, respiratory, or any other contagious infectious illness.
- Visitors must comply with all Stanford Health Care instructions, including personal protective equipment, hand hygiene and other infection prevention requirements.
- Visitors who do not comply with these requirements or exhibit other behavior that endangers the health or safety of patients or staff will be asked to leave and may have future visitation revoked.
- Some waiting areas are limited to 1 visitor and visitors must be 16 years or older.
- Visitation may be delayed, altered, or refused based on the care needs of individual patients as deemed appropriate through agreement between the patient’s nurse and physician.
- Normally two (2) visitors per patient can be accommodated at one time.
- Inpatient daytime visiting hours are limited to 8:00am-8:00pm.
- Inpatient Psychiatry visiting hours:
- Monday-Friday: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
- Weekends and holidays: 12:00pm - 8:30pm.
- Inpatient Psychiatry visiting hours:
- Overnight visitors:
- Inpatients in a private room may have one (1) overnight visitor with the approval of the patient and nursing staff.
- Inpatients in a non-private room are permitted to have one (1) overnight visitor under specific circumstances as approved by the patient, patient’s roommate, and Department Manager.
- Inpatients in a private room may have one (1) overnight visitor with the approval of the patient and nursing staff.
- Isolation: All visitors of patients in protective precautions and respiratory isolation must check with the nursing staff prior to visiting. The nursing staff will instruct the visitor in proper isolation techniques.
- Children/minors may visit a patient if they are accompanied and supervised by an adult.
- Waiting Area:
- All patients will be allowed one (1) healthy caregiver to accompany them to a designated waiting area prior to being brought into Pre-Op.
- To manage space constraints, the visitor may be asked to wait off-site once the patient goes in for their procedure.
- Pre-Op:
- Visitors are permitted after the pre-op nursing assessment phase is complete. If a patient meets the following criteria, a visitor may accompany the patient during the pre op nursing assessment phase:
- One (1) healthy caregiver will be allowed to accompany
- Patients who are minors under age 18
- Patients with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities and patients with cognitive impairments.
- Obstetric patients delivering in an SHC OR may have their support person in the OR during the delivery.
- Patients who require assistance during the pre-op nursing assessment, so the care team has accurate information to safely care for the patient
- One (1) healthy caregiver will be allowed to accompany
- During the pre-op phone call, the patient will be assessed to determine if they meet the above criteria for having a caregiver accompany them into pre op during the initial nursing assessment.
- Visitors are permitted after the pre-op nursing assessment phase is complete. If a patient meets the following criteria, a visitor may accompany the patient during the pre op nursing assessment phase:
- PACU:
- Once a patient transitions to Level 2 care, one (1) healthy caregiver may be allowed in the PACU.
- Patients coming to clinic visits may bring 1 caregiver with them who is 16+
- The visitor must self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and not to enter our health care facilities if they have symptoms that may be related to COVID-19, respiratory, or any other contagious infectious illness
- The caregiver may be asked to step outside if the area becomes too crowded.
One (1) healthy adult visitor is allowed in the Adult and Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) lobby with a patient. A patient in a private ED room, may have up to 2 visitors. If the 2nd visitor leaves the room, they cannot wait in the lobby. A patient in a non-private room may be limited to 1 visitor.
Exceptions to this policy may include:
- Three (3) visitors may be allowed for patients who are: At end of life (defined as imminent death within 24 hours), on comfort care, being discharged to hospice, or are deceased.
- In and out privileges are allowed up to 2 times per day. Visitors can switch out once per day.
- The decision to allow or limit visitors for a situation not covered in this policy is made by the ED resource nurse and the manager on-site or the manager on-call.
- All patients in the ACA designated bays will be allowed up to two (2) healthy caregivers at the bedside per day, one (1) at a time, during designated hospital visiting hours.
- Caregivers will need to remain in the bay assigned to the patient.
- Caregivers may not use patient restrooms.
- Caregivers will not be allowed to stay overnight.
Virtual visits are a good way to support your loved one.
Call Guest Services for help at 650-498-3333.
We want to support you and your loved ones at the end of life. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can spread easily and we want to keep you and our staff safe. To support you, staff and your loved ones we have developed some guidelines we ask you to follow. These restrictions are modeled from policies at other health organizations, as well as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California State Department of Health.
A visit to a loved one with COVID-19 at end-of-life will put you at a higher risk of disease but these risks can be mitigated by following the steps outlined below. If you have any questions, please talk to the nurse taking care of your loved one.
- Talk to your loved one’s nurse about approval to enter the hospital. All visitors entering the hospital must be pre-approved and healthy.
- The number of people allowed in the room at any one time will be limited.
- The amount of time you can stay will also be limited as the longer a visitor spends with an individual who has COVID-19, the greater the risk of getting the virus.
- Once you are outside of the hospital room you will need to work with a nurse to put on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including a gown, gloves, eye protection and a new mask. You must wash your hands or use alcohol sanitizer upon entering and leaving the room and hospital to prevent the spread of disease.
- Although death is a time to support each other with compassion, due to the possibility of transmission, visitors should not hug or physically comfort patients or other family members. The outside of the PPE can become contaminated and could spread disease. Please reserve personal contact among family for only after PPE is taken off, a new mask is on, and hands are washed.
- Once you are in the room you must stay there until you call for a nurse to help you leave or you are asked to leave because a nurse or doctor needs to provide care. Follow the lead of the health care team. There is no food or drink allowed in the room and you will not be able to go in and out of the room or hospital.
- When you leave, a nurse will help you take off the PPE and put on a clean mask. You must immediately exit the hospital after leaving the room.
If you are not able to be in the room or at the bedside we do have ways to connect you through private video or phone calls. The nurse can help or you can call Guest Services at 650-498-3333.