Visitor Restrictions Due to COVID-19

Last updated December 28, 2021

The rules for visiting patients at UCSF can change at any time, depending on what's happening with the pandemic and on government health orders. Please check this page for the latest information before you go.

Starting on November 1st and continuing through influenza season, visitors under the age of 5 will be restricted from visiting, except for breastfeeding dependents/siblings and in end-of-life circumstances.

 

Masking

All visitors must wear masks over their nose and mouth, and under their chin at all times when indoors. Masks are also required outside in a small zone around our doorways. Visitors who don't comply with these rules will be asked to leave the premises.

Inpatient Visits

During COVID-19, the rules for visiting patients in our hospitals fall into four categories: Visitation Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Level 4.

Our hospitals are currently at Visitation Level 3. Check the inpatient visitation rules chart below to see the rules and restrictions for this level.

Vaccination screening for visitors: By California state order, hospital visitors must be screened for their COVID-19 vaccination status. Before being allowed indoors as a visitor, you must show proof that you're fully vaccinated or proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test result (where the test was administered within the last 72 hours). Get more details about the vaccine screening requirement.

Note that you cannot enter the patient care area until the patient you're visiting has received a negative COVID-19 test result. (All patients admitted to the hospital are tested for COVID-19.)

Visiting a COVID-positive patient. If the patient you're visiting has COVID-19, certain restrictions apply regardless of the hospital's current visitation level. See the chart below for rules about visiting COVID-positive patients.

Outpatient Visits

These rules apply if the patient you're visiting is at a UCSF clinic or doctor's office or getting an outpatient procedure. See our outpatient visitation chart for details.

Health Screening Questions

You'll be asked some COVID-19 health screening questions when you arrive, or you can answer the COVID-19 screening questions online on the day of your visit. 

Video Visits

You may visit a patient via video instead of in person. Please ask our staff for help arranging a video visit with a patient.

Inpatient Visiting Rules

General Visitation Level 3: Inpatient Areas (Patients Without COVID-19)
Patient Population	Visitors/Caregivers	Hours/Duration	Notes
Adult Inpatient	One healthy visitor	10 a.m. - 8 p.m.	No overnight visitors, switch every 24 hours.
Pediatric Inpatient	Two healthy caregivers per calendar day	One caregiver 24 hours per day. Two caregivers together 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.	Two primary caregivers on visitor list for duration of hospitalization.
Birth Center (Labor & Delivery/Maternity)	One healthy visitor	All hours	Doulas allowed during the labor phase of admission only.
Parnassus Emergency Department	One healthy visitor	All hours
Mission Bay Emergency Department	One healthy visitor for pediatric patients	All hours
Adult Surgery	One healthy visitor	During surgery hours	Escort to Surgical Waiting Area only. Necessary visitation in Pre-Op/PACU. Must wait off-site or in designated waiting areas.
Pediatric Surgery	Two healthy visitors	During surgery hours	Adult caregivers can wait in Surgical Waiting Area during procedure. Second caregiver may be asked to wait off-site due to space constraints.

 

COVID-Positive Patients: Visiting Rules

The following restrictions apply to COVID-19 patients and outpatients regardless of the current visitation level.

General Visitation: Inpatient Areas (Patients With COVID-19)
Patient Population	Visitors/Caregivers	Hours/Duration	Notes
COVID-19 Adult	Video visits only	All hours	Exceptions made at the end of life.
COVID-19 Pediatric	One healthy guardian	All hours

 

Outpatient Visiting Rules

General Visitation: Outpatient Areas
Patient Population	Visitors/Caregivers	Hours/Duration	Notes
Ambulatory Clinics	One healthy visitor	Clinic hours	Clinics may ask visitor to wait in waiting area or outside if required for social distancing.
Cancer Center	One healthy visitor	Clinic hours	Clinics may ask visitor to wait in waiting area or outside if required for social distancing.
Ob-Gyn Clinics & Prenatal Diagnostic Center	One healthy visitor	Clinic hours	Clinics may ask visitor to wait in waiting area or outside if required for social distancing.
Antenatal Testing Center	No general visitation	Clinic hours	One caregiver is allowed on advance request for patients with specific caregiving needs.
Center for Reproductive Health	One healthy visitor	Clinic hours	One visitor is allowed except during routine monitoring scans, due to space limitations.
Adult Infusion - Mount Zion, Mission Bay, BOPC	One healthy visitor	Clinic hours	Space is limited, so visitors may be asked to wait outside if required for social distancing.
Adult Infusion - Parnassus, San Mateo	By exception only	Clinic hours	Space is limited, so visitors may stay only as an exception. Patients scheduled for these treatments should speak with the staff ahead of time to determine whether a visitor may accompany them. Decisions are made on a visit-by-visit basis. Patients should not show up with a visitor if not already approved.
Pediatric Infusion - Mission Bay	One healthy visitor	Clinic hours	Space is limited, so visitors may be asked to wait outside if required for social distancing.
Dental Center	No general visitation	Clinic hours	One visitor is allowed for patients with specific caregiving needs.
Outpatient Surgery/Procedures	No general visitation	While surgery is in progress	Visitors are welcome in designated waiting areas.
Outpatient Radiology	No general visitation	While procedure is in progress	A visitor may escort patient to the waiting area only. One caregiver is allowed on advance request for patients with specific caregiving needs.

 

How Visitation Levels Are Determined

The Visitation leadership team will recommend moving to more restrictive visitation levels when at least two of the criteria for a stricter visitation are met. The Visitation leadership team will recommend moving to less restrictive visitation levels when all three of the criteria for the lower level are met.

Guide to Visitation Levels
	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
UCSF Surge Status (7 days in new range)	Green (0-20 patients)	Green or Yellow (0-40 patients)	Orange (41-60 patients)	Red (Greater than 60 patients)
Health Order in Place	Visitation order not active	Visitation order active, shelter in place not active	Visitation order active, shelter in place not active	Visitation order active, shelter in place active
Bay Area Counties C19 Case Rate (per 100k)	<2.0 daily new cases	2.0-10.0 daily new cases	10.0-30.0 daily new cases	>30.0 daily new cases

Exceptions for Inpatient, Emergency Department, Birth Center, Surgery and Ambulatory Visiting (Necessary Visitation)

• Visits to patients who are at the end of their life (have less than seven days to live, are on comfort care, or are being discharged to hospice as their next level of care).
• Visits by anyone who is legally authorized to make decisions for the patient, whether by operation of a durable power of attorney (DPOA) or conservatorship, or in the role of a surrogate decision-maker as recognized by the care provider team for patients who lack decisional capacity.
• Support people for patients with cognitive impairment or other neurological injury (such as stroke) or for patients who have developed hospital delirium or dementia, where the consistent presence of the visitor is necessary to reduce the risk of medical or clinical harm.
• Support people for patients who require assistance because of developmental disabilities, physical disabilities or limitations, or cognitive impairment.
• Visits by family and legal advisers to update a patient's will or other legal papers.
• Unique situations in which the visiting needs should be discussed with the on-site nursing director.

Additional Exception: Birth Center (Labor & Delivery/Maternity)

• Doulas will be allowed in addition to the one essential visitor for all Birth Center patients while they are in labor (subject to change based on COVID-19 surge status).

Additional Exceptions: Inpatient Stay and Come-and-Go Surgeries

• Visits by anyone who is legally authorized to make decisions for the patient, whether by operation of a DPOA or conservatorship, or in the role of a surrogate decision-maker as recognized by the care provider team for patients who lack decisional capacity.
• Support people for patients with physical or developmental disabilities who require assistance (for example, patients with severe hearing loss, dementia or aphasia and patients who are wheelchair-bound or have a left ventricular assist device).
• Minors are allowed one adult visitor.
• Family members of patients who are in end-of-life care or experiencing an acute life-threatening event that makes them unlikely to survive the current hospital stay, in the judgment of the health care team.
• Patients and family members who would benefit from face-to-face caregiving instructions, either because of the complexity of the material or because of the needs of the patient or caregivers.

Additional Exceptions: Ambulatory Clinic Appointments

• Evaluations for transplant that require the clinical team to make sure a comprehensive support system is in place for the patient and assess the support person's ability to comply with the post-transplant expectations, per United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines.
• Surgical patients of the Orthopaedic Institute may be accompanied by a caregiver or support person who is their source of transportation.
• Pediatric clinics and the birth center: All patients with an appointment in a pediatric clinic or pediatric infusion center may be accompanied by a caregiver. (This is not limited to patients under age 18, because older patients may have developmental issues that require a caregiver.)
• Pediatrics: For babies in the first month of life, two adult caregivers are allowed.
• Pediatrics: If there is no other choice and no childcare available, no more than two siblings are allowed, and they must be under the age of 12.

Cancer Center Visiting (Necessary Visitation)

• In-person visitors and caregivers are allowed only if given advance approval, due to the risk of exposure for patients, medical providers and staff.
• We recognize how challenging it is to receive medical care for cancer and that sometimes it's essential for a caregiver to accompany you to an appointment. Please contact your care coordinator to discuss your request, so we can work with you.
• If approved, one adult visitor or essential caregiver per patient will be allowed to enter after successful screening at the building or clinic entrance. However, smaller sites that lack sufficient space for safe physical distancing won't be able to allow a visitor.
  • In some cases, visitors will not be able to stay for in-person participation in the specifics of the visit or treatment but may have the option to participate via video applications such as Zoom or FaceTime.
  • The staff will continually assess the physical space and length of visit to determine whether the visitor can safely remain.
  • Our infusion and radiation therapy centers have limited space, so visitors may stay only as an exception. Patients scheduled for these treatments should speak with the staff ahead of time to determine whether a visitor may accompany them. Such decisions will be made on a visit-by-visit basis. Patients should not show up with a visitor if not already approved.
• During this challenging time, we ask that patients and visitors follow the staff's directions and understand that the evolving circumstances will result in variation at our different sites and centers. Consequently, a patient and visitor may be able to stay together for an office visit, but the next time they come – even to the same practice – the visitor may be asked to wait outside.

Information for Families of Patients in Our Hospitals

• Patients and their loved ones must designate a single individual to be the point of contact for all information and conversations with the health care team.
• The designated point of contact will be responsible for sharing information with family members or loved ones who should have this information.
• The designated point of contact will hear from a care team member at least once a day for regular updates or more frequently if the patient's condition or treatment changes significantly.
• Some exceptions may apply, as determined by the health care team.

COVID-19 Self-Screener

Everyone entering UCSF campus or health facilities must complete a daily self-screening survey. You can use our on-demand COVID self-screener from your mobile phone before coming on campus – or when you arrive – by visiting tiny.ucsf.edu/entry on your mobile phone or by scanning the QR code below.

Your privacy: Responses to the self-screening are only used to determine whether you have symptoms of or potential exposure to COVID-19. Learn more: Privacy Policy for the Symptom Screening Program

Smoke-Free Policy

UCSF is a smoke-free environment. Smoking in and around the hospitals and affiliated sites is prohibited. Hospital patients who smoke will receive nicotine replacement therapy and counseling by our smoking cessation team. Nicotine replacement products are available in our hospital gift shops.