New Rules After Dad Hides Virus Symptoms in Hospital

A dad-to-be wanted to be with his wife so badly in a hospital maternity ward that he lied about the coronavirus symptoms he was experiencing. Staff at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York, let him into the maternity ward as a result, and the Democrat and Chronicle reports that this tale doesn't have a happy ending. The man confessed he was feeling sick only after his wife gave birth and began showing symptoms herself. The hospital isn't disclosing whether either the mother, the father, or the newborn have tested positive for COVID-19, but it is instituting new rules.

From now on, all visitors at Strong, as well as at affiliated hospitals, will have their temperature taken before being allowed to enter. "It was purely an honor system before," says an official with the hospital network. Also, all visitors will have to wear surgical masks, though this change isn't related to the maternity incident. Hospital maternity staff were notified about what happened, and all have been cleared to continue working as long as they remain symptom-free. Meanwhile, the Daily Beast reports that interest is booming in at-home births as the outbreak worsens. (More coronavirus stories.)