ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Despite the surge of new coronavirus cases, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer isn’t considering any new state-wide precautions.
That isn’t stopping hospitals from clamping down on visitors.
Beaumont Health reinstated health and safety precautions at all hospital locations in an effort to protect patients, staff and communities amid a surge in coronavirus spread.
READ: Beaumont hospitals restore visitor restrictions amid rising COVID cases
The restrictions went into effect 8 a.m. Thursday. They severely restrict visitation in hopes of slowing the wave of new hospitalizations during the new surge.
Thursday, the state announced 5,224 new COVID cases, the highest one-day total since Dec. 11, 2020.
March 25, 2021: Michigan coronavirus cases up to 642,869; Death toll now at 15,984
Experts have traced many of those cases to outbreaks in after-school activities and high school sports, which were fought by parents and parents to be allowed.
Michigan’s hospitalizations have also spiked. The Michigan Health and Hospital Association said hospitalizations for those aged 30-39 have gone up 633%, and for ages 40-49, hospitalizations have gone up 800%. However, hospitalizations for those aged 80-89 have only increased 37% -- a sign that vaccinations are working.
READ: Tracking Michigan COVID-19 hospitalization data trends
However, hospital systems -- like Beaumont -- are putting new restrictions in place to only allow for a few visitors and only in specific cases.
“I know the weather’s starting to get warm and I know people want to get up outside, and some restrictions have been lifted,” said Dr. Nick Gilpin. “But as we start to see these cases rise, people in Michigan and, in particular, in South East Michigan, need to consider that there’s still a possibility of infection out there.”
The exceptions are extremely narrow. At Beaumont, it’s a single person allowed to visit in situations when a person in serious or critical condition, those being evaluated for end-of-life care, women in labor and very few others.
They only apply if that visitor screens negative for a respiratory infection and some may be on a location-by-location basis.