Once you are admitted to hospital, you and your support person will be required to stay in the labour room. We recommend that you bring all food/drinks/snacks and other items that the support person will need for your entire stay. The hospital will not be able to provide food for the partner. A small refrigerator is available in each room.

Movement through and between care environments by the support person should be minimized and will only occur following the direction of a member of the health-care team.

“In and out” privileges are not allowed; the support person must remain in the patient room at all times. If the support person leaves, they will not be permitted back into the hospital. If the support person does not remain in the room as directed, they will be asked to leave and not return until the patient is discharged.

A support person who develops signs or symptoms of possible infection at any time during the stay will need to leave immediately and must go to a COVID-19 Assessment Centre to be tested.

If a patient becomes a person under investigation (PUI) following admission due to fever in labour, the support person will be allowed to stay, but must remain in the patient’s room at all times.

If at any time it is deemed unsafe with respect to the ability to maintain appropriate physical distancing in our care environments (for example, due to an increase in admissions) then the health-care team will work together to determine appropriate actions, which may include asking support persons to leave.

We will continue to encourage early discharge for mothers and babies as long as our discharge criteria are met.

Please note: If at any time Sunnybrook or the community experience a surge in COVID-19 infections, this policy may change and new protocols will be implemented.