COVID-19: Learning to Live with It

The pandemic isn’t over. COVID-19 is still here.

But as the threat decreases and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines evolve, we’re learning how to live with it. And this means things are changing here at Cleveland Clinic.

Covid 19 Appointment
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What You Need to Know Before You Come In

Your health and safety remain our No. 1 priority. But you’ll find we’re doing things a little differently in this new phase of the pandemic. From visiting loved ones to wearing masks to getting COVID testing, we have the information you need.

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Practicing social and physical distancing
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Wearing a mask while in our facilities (even if you're vaccinated)
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Washing and sanitizing your hands properly

Visitation

For the past few years, we tightened our visitation policies in response to the COVID-19 threat. Now, for the first time since the pandemic began, all of our U.S. locations have returned to open visitation.

You’ll no longer be screened for COVID symptoms when you come to a Cleveland Clinic location. And we’ll no longer have set visiting hours or limit the number of visitors a patient can have — except in some ICU settings.

When we first started tightening our visitation requirements, the COVID-19 threat was much different. Now the CDC has changed its position on social distancing and isolation and more advanced COVID treatments are available. Studies also show visitors to healthcare locations haven’t contributed much to the spread of the virus.

You will still need to wear a mask when you’re at any Cleveland Clinic facility. If you’re sick, we ask that you don’t come to visit patients. And if you’ve tested positive for COVID-19 or have been exposed to someone who tested positive, you’ll need to wait at least 10 days before visiting a patient in a Cleveland Clinic facility.

Mask Guidelines

We realize that everywhere you go the rules are different. Maybe you’ve gotten used to running to the grocery store without a mask. And that’s OK. But as a healthcare institution, we still require that our providers, patients and visitors wear face masks in our facilities at all times — even if you’ve been vaccinated and boosted.

You’ll need to wear a mask at any of our locations for:

  • In-person appointments.
  • Procedures without a hospital stay.
  • Emergency Department visits.
  • Accompanying someone to their appointments.
  • Visiting a patient.

If you are staying in the hospital, we strongly encourage you to wear a mask unless you have a health or behavioral condition that makes it hard for you to wear one. And if you’re visiting someone with COVID-19, we’ll have you wear not only a mask, but also eye protection, a gown and gloves.

Pre-surgical testing

When you’re scheduled for surgery or another procedure, you already have a lot on your mind. One thing you might need to do is test before surgery. Our requirements for pre-surgical COVID-19 testing have changed — for both adults and kids. If you’re age 14+ and don’t have symptoms, you’ll no longer need a COVID-19 test before surgery that requires you to stay in the hospital overnight. But if you’re scheduled for surgery and have symptoms, you still need to get a test.

Kids ages 12 to 14 without symptoms don’t need to have a COVID test if they’re not staying overnight in the hospital after their surgery or procedure.

We’re still requiring testing before some surgeries and procedures for:

  • Children ages 12 to 14 who have COVID symptoms.
  • Children under age 12 who are having a surgery or procedure but are not staying overnight in the hospital.
  • Children ages 14 and younger who will be staying overnight or admitted to the hospital.