Visiting hours and policies

Reminder: bring your proof of vaccination to CHEO
• CHEO asks everyone about their vaccination status as part of our entrance screening.
• Please bring a digital or paper copy of your proof of vaccination if you have it, and be prepared to show it along with one piece of ID.

Parent/caregiver presence policy and visitor policy:

When parents and caregivers come with their child or youth to CHEO, they arrive not as visitors, but as part of the care team. They are actively working with us as part of their child’s care team, providing vital health information only they would know and giving emotional support in a way only a parent or caregiver can. For this reason, parents/caregivers will never be separated from their child.

Effective December 18 and until further notice, only one parent/caregiver will be allowed to accompany children and youth while at CHEO, whether in clinic, the Surgical Day Unit or the emergency department. Children and youth who are admitted as inpatients may have one designated caregiver present during the day and overnight. Only those who have been screened daily will be permitted at the bedside. 

At this time visitors are not permitted. This will help us limit the number of people in the building and ensure the safety of your loved ones.

Read the "Entering CHEO" section below to learn more.

Who is a parent/caregiver or visitor?

Parent/caregiver: Someone who is over 14 years old and helps a child or youth with activities of daily living – e.g. parent, grandparent, older sibling, legal guardian, etc. A parent/caregiver can be designated by a patient. A parent/caregiver is never considered a visitor because they are a vital part of the care team.

Visitor: Someone who is part of a child or youth’s family or support network—e.g. sibling, extended family member, friend, etc.—but not a designated parent/caregiver.

CHEO is safe

CHEO remains a safe place for you to come with your child/youth. To make sure we are always putting safety first and minimizing any chance of transmission of infections during the COVID-19 pandemic, anyone who comes to CHEO, including parents and caregivers, is screened before entering, including being asked whether they (or anyone living with them) have travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days. Anyone who is sick will not be allowed to enter. Rest assured, if you, as part of the care team, cannot come onsite due to sickness, we will work with you to make sure your child/youth has support.

Make sure to complete our entrance screening each day before coming to CHEO. Additional safety precautions remain in place – including, physical distancing, masking, and handwashing, to name a few.

Frequently asked questions for parents/caregivers coming to CHEO

I/someone I live with has travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days. What can I expect?

If you have an upcoming in-person appointment, please contact your clinical team to make the necessary arrangements for your appointment. These arrangements can include a virtual appointment or rebooking your appointment until 14 days after any international travel.

Will I be asked to show proof of vaccination?

Yes! Reminder for parents/caregivers: bring your proof of vaccination to CHEO. CHEO asks everyone about their vaccination status as part of our entrance screening. Please bring a digital or paper copy of your proof of vaccination if you have it, and be prepared to show it along with one piece of ID.

I'm an unvaccinated or partially vaccinated parent/caregiver, what can I expect?

For everyone’s safety, we are asking that all parents and caregivers who are able to get vaccinated do so. Parents/caregivers are asked to be vaccinated to protect those they interact with while at CHEO. Those who are currently unvaccinated or partially vaccinated will still be permitted to come to CHEO, with additional safety measures. As important members of our care team, we will never create a barrier for parents/caregivers to accompany their child to CHEO. What to expect Ultimately we want everyone who visits CHEO to be fully vaccinated. For the very few who fall into the category of unvaccinated/partially vaccinated, here’s what you can expect: Additional screening questions as part of our entrance screen – please plan to arrive early as you will need to answer a few more questions. You will be escorted to your child/youth’s bedside. You will not be allowed in common spaces such as the cafeteria, coffee shop, or pharmacy — please bring your own snacks and ask your care team how you can get what you need while staying at your child’s bedside.

My child/youth is staying as an inpatient at CHEO. Will I be required to do regular rapid tests?

As an added layer of protection, we are now supplying all parents and caregivers of children and youth in shared rooms with rapid antigen tests. Parents and caregivers who are staying at the bedside of their child or youth at CHEO will be required to test themselves daily for COVID-19. Parents and caregivers are important members of the care team, and as such we will never create a barrier to them accompanying their child at CHEO. If a parent/caregiver tests positive we will support them with additional safety measures while accompanying their child or youth at CHEO.

Will I be required to wear a face mask while at CHEO?

Yes! Masks are given to all parents/caregivers and patients at CHEO. Families are welcome to wear a personal KN95 or other mask when coming to CHEO. We will ask you to put the procedural mask we give you on top as we can't quality check everyone's personal mask. Please wear your assigned mask when: a health-care provider comes into your child’s or youth’s room you go outside of your child’s or youth’s room physical distancing measures cannot be maintained (including shared rooms)

Entering CHEO

Where to enter

All children, youth and parents/caregivers must enter through the main entrance for clinic visits, or the Emergency Department in urgent cases. Other entrances are closed.

Who can enter

To limit the number of people in the building the following rules apply:  Coming for a clinic/Surgical Day Unit appointment, or an Emergency Department visit Only ONE parent or caregiver will be allowed to accompany children and youth while at CHEO For some patients (e.g. persons with disabilities) coming for an appointment in a clinic or the Surgical Day Unit, a second essential support person may be allowed to help patients and care teams. For patients and parents/caregivers who require additional support, please contact your care team to determine if an exception to ONE parent or caregiver at a time can be granted. For Emergency Department (ED) visits, please discuss your need for an exception on arrival to the ED. Staying at the hospital ONE designated parent/caregiver are permitted (designated parents/caregivers must be 12 or older). Overnight, only one parent/caregiver is permitted to remain onsite.  During the day, only one parents/caregiver is permitted on site at the same time.  For example, one parent/caregiver can accompany a child during the morning and another parent/caregiver can accompany the child later in the day. As a reminder, only one caregiver can remain with the child overnight.

Who can't enter

As of December 18 and until further notice, visitors are not permitted Parents/caregivers or visitors who do not pass the entrance screening. Siblings younger than 12 are not permitted. We appreciate this requires childcare arrangements for younger siblings and we are grateful for your support in doing so.

Thank you

COVID-19 has created many new rules and safety procedures we all need to follow. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to update our procedures in line with direction from Public Health Ontario. Please be kind to our entrance screeners, staff and medical staff when you meet them. Safety first is our top priority at CHEO.