Visitor Information & Policies

We are currently screening visitors at San Joaquin General Hospital to help keep the novel corona virus (COVID-19) out of the hospital. This comes by order of the California State Public Health Officer Order to protect our patients, staff and community.

• In all cases:
  • Visitors are only allowed if they do not have symptoms of illness (such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell).
  • Visitors who have had contact with someone with confirmed COVID-19 or are under investigation for COVID-19 in the last 14 days, need to delay their visit.
  • Only 2 visitors, from the same household, will be allowed per patient.
  • Persons under 16 years of age will not be allowed to visit.
  • Visitors are to wear a properly fitting face covering and maintain six (6) foot distancing from other patients, visitors, and staff at all times.
  • Visitors are to travel ONLY to and from the patient’s room. Waiting rooms and lobbies remain closed to visitors at this time.
• Visitors are generally not permitted for COVID-positive patients, except for in specific circumstances listed below.
• Our visitor guidelines are subject to change at any time, and changes may not necessarily be listed on this website.

Visitors Must Show Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination or Negative Test

In response to rising rates of COVID-19, the State of California’s Public Health Department has ordered new visitor requirements for hospitals.

As of January 7, 2022, All Visitors and vendors accessing San Joaquin General Hospital must have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, if eligible. Any of the COVID vaccines authorized in the US may be used for the booster dose. Booster eligibility:

• Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna (6) months after 2nd dose
• Johnson & Johnson (2) months after first dose.

The Hospital will document and track verification for one of the following for each visitor of admitted patients allowed access to the facility, for each visit of the facility:

• Proof of being fully vaccinated, including have received a booster dose, if eligible.

OR

• Proof of a negative COVID (SARS-CoV-2) test, for each visit, where specimen collection occurred within:
  • Two (2) days if using PCR testing, or
  • One (1) day if using antigen testing
  • For visitors who visit for multiple consecutive days (daily), proof of negative test is only required every third day (meaning testing is only required for day 4 and day 7, and so on).

OR

• Proof of history of COVID-19 within the prior 90 days with documentation of recovery from COVID-19 and release from isolation, in lieu of testing.

Proof of vaccination that we accept:

• COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention or WHO Yellow Card) which includes name of person vaccinated, type of vaccine provided, and date the last dose was administered); OR
• A print or digital copy of a completed Vaccination Record Card; OR
• Documentation of COVID-19 vaccination from a health care provider; OR
• A digital record that includes a QR code that when scanned by a SMART Health Card reader displays to the reader the client’s name, date of birth, vaccine dates and vaccine type.

If you cannot find your proof of vaccination, the Sate Health Department's Vaccine Record portal website may be helpful.
https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov/

Types of negative COVID-19 test that we accept:

Visitors who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated must show documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test, with the specimen collected within the previous (2) days or (1) day depending upon the type of of test (see details above). Those individuals may use either PCR or antigen testing.

Self-administered at home test kits do not meet the state requirement for purposes of visitation in the hospital.

San Joaquin County has an online resource for testing locations and information.
https://sjready.org/events/covid19/testing.html

For patient drop-offs and discharges:

For patients being discharged or dropped off for procedures or admissions, if there is no proof of vaccination for visitors or rides, patients will be received at the front door for admission and brought outside for discharge.

New masking requirements also in effect:

Our masking requirements for visitors have also changed. Cloth masks are no longer allowed, and visitors are required to wear a hospital-grade mask provided upon entry to the hospital.

As always, visitors are required to wear the mask covering both their nose and mouth for the entire time and length of their visit.

Limited Exceptions:

The state of California only allows exemptions to the requirements above for visitors to:

• A patient in critical condition when death is imminent
• A pediatric or neonatal patient
• A labor and delivery patient
• A patient with a physical, intellectual, developmental disability or cognitive impairment
• A person accompanying a patient to a clinic appointment
• A person accompanying a patient in the Emergency Room
• A surgical patient, prior going into prep for surgery, and when the patient is in recovery preparing for discharge

For subsequent visits following the emergent situation and as soon as resonably possible, thesevisitors must comply with vaccine verification or applicable testing requirements within the previous (2) days or (1) day depending upon the type of of test (see details above).

Alternatives to In-Person Visiting

• Call the patient on a cell phone
• Use video calling services like FaceTime or Skype
• Use instant messaging services like Facebook Messenger or Snapchat
• Call the patient’s room through the main hospital switchboard at 209-468-6000

San Joaquin General Hospital can provide an iPad for a patient to video call loved ones (via Zoom or other digital platforms).