Covid 19 coronavirus: Whanganui Hospital operations in level 2

Whanganui Hospital visiting hours will remain the same but strict restrictions are being slightly lifted. Photo / Bevan Conley

Whanganui Hospital will be relaxing its one visitor per patient rule under alert level two.

All patients can now have more than one visitor in a day but how it works will differ for patients in different wards.

Under levels 4 and 3, strict visiting guidelines limited patients to one support person in certain wards or none at all in others.

But now patients in the maternity ward, children's ward, critical care units and those receiving palliative care can have more than one visitor at a time, after discussion with the unit manager.

However, the DHB is still advising visiting numbers remain small for these patients to be able to maintain social distancing in wards.

All other patients can have more than one visitor a day, but they must visit at different times of the day and not in pairs or groups.

All visitors must enter the Whanganui Hospital through the main entrance and will need to register their details for contact tracing.

"We understand that these restrictions may be difficult for some whānau/families. Please be assured we will continue to provide compassionate care for your loved one during this challenging time," the hospital said.

Visiting hours remain 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.