Indiana University Health announced voluntary visitor restrictions at its hospitals this week due to the flu outbreak. IU Health officials say patients shouldn't have more than two healthy adult visitors at a time.
According to IU Health Spokesperson Amanda Roach, patients at IU Health Hospital in Bloomington should limit themselves to two visitors over 18 who aren't showing signs of the flu.
"The restrictions are voluntary so it's really up to the visitors to screen themselves and just be aware that the restrictions are in place for the safety of our patients," Roach said.
13 people have been admitted for the flu since Monday, which is seven more than this time last year. Roach said the hospital's infection prevention team classifies this flu season as high compared to other years.
"We're keeping the flu out of the hospital as much as we can," Roach said. "We know that patients are here because they are ill and recovering from something, they may be more susceptible to catching something if a visitor might have the flu."
According to officials, the restrictions are only temporary and vary slightly for every hospital in the IU Health system.