Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Due to the season we are in, respiratory illnesses have been on the rise.

A press release stated that, due to this recent spike in RI’s, hospital systems such as Memorial Health and Hospital Sisters Health Systems (HSHS) have added some temporary visiting restrictions.

You now must be 18 years of age or older and showing no signs of illness to visit someone within Memorial Health or HSHS, and they currently allow only two visitors per patient. These restrictions come from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and are put in place to protect not only you as the visitor, but as well as hospital staff, patients, and patient families.

The restrictions are set to be lifted once respiratory infections start to calm down a little bit, however a specific end date on these restrictions has yet to be disclosed.

The restrictions do not apply to specialty care, labs, or radiology.

If you feel like you may have a respiratory illness, be sure to of course go get checked out, but also make sure to do everything you can to help prevent the spread of illness such as handwashing, masking, or even staying away from people.

Within this restriction, wearing a mask on your visit is not mandatory, but is however recommended. As usual, when you enter the hospital, a disposable mask will be available for your use and should be located right inside the entrance to the hospital or at the front desk.