Cookeville Regional Medical Center is returning to regular visitation hours effective May 2nd.
The hospital said it felt it was able to make the change due to the decline in the COVID patient census. Regular visitation hours for general units are 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. unless otherwise permitted by hospital or nursing staff.
The hospital said that any visitor entering the facility after 9:00 pm must enter through the Emergency Department Lobby. If the visitor wishes to visit an area other than the ED, they must enter through the east lobby, be signed in by a security officer, and be issued a visitor badge with a 24-hour expiration date.
In addition to updating visitation hours, the hospital has also updated its mask policy. The hospital said that staff who are up-to-date on vaccinations may remove masks in break areas or meeting rooms where patients will not be present.
The hospital said that universal masking is still required in all clinical areas of the hospital, hallways, the cafeteria, or any other area patients may be present.