Three cases of influenza have been confirmed at the South Shore Regional Hospital in Bridgewater.
As a result the in-patient medical unit has been closed to visitors.
Sheila Lee, Infection Control Practitioner for Lunenburg-Queens, says it’s a necessary precaution.
“When we see an increased number of respiratory illness,” she says, “we like to try to put processes in place to try to reduce the risk of transmission or spreading.”
Lee says the flu is usually spread through ‘droplet contact’ from coughing and sneezing.
She says the the virus can remain alive on surfaces for several hours after exposure.
The restriction is expected to remain in place until at least Monday morning.
Lee says immediate family will be allowed in on a case by case basis.
