Mercy Hospital revises visiting hours as of Monday

There’s been a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Four State Area.

Joplin’s Mercy Hospital will be limiting patients to one visitor per day between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

The new policy takes effect this coming Monday. Mercy Springfield has the same policy.

Jeremy Drinkwitz, president of Mercy Hospital Joplin says when overall cases dropped, visitor restrictions were loosened for the benefit of patients and their families.

Now, he says COVID inpatients are nearly as numerous as during any time in the pandemic. As a result, visitation hours are being restricted again.

Medical experts say the rate of unvaccinated people and the new COVID variants are to blame for the most recent surge in cases.

Joplin’s Freeman Hospital re-opened its COVID unit that had closed for a number of weeks.