Visitor information
Updated May 9, 2022
We are limiting visitors in UC Davis Medical Center to help keep COVID-19 out of the hospital. This careful decision was made in an effort to protect our patients, staff and community.
Visitors are allowed if they meet the criteria in our visitor policy below. The policy applies to inpatient and outpatient services within the UC Davis Medical Center hospital building, and also to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. It applies for both adult and pediatric patients.
Some of our care services also have additional policies about the number of visitors allowed. Their policies are also listed below. Examples include our Emergency Department, our birth center, our surgery services, the NICU and PICU, and our outpatient or “ambulatory” care facilities.
All of our visitor policies are subject to change at any time. Changes may not be listed on this website. Please follow any instructions given by our staff.
Thank you for your understanding! Please see below for more information and options.
1. Visitors must show proof of being fully vaccinated for COVID-19, or proof of a negative test
All visitors (including parents and guardians) must show proof of:
- being fully vaccinated for COVID-19 (which includes a booster dose of vaccine); OR
- a recent negative COVID-19 test (taken within a specific time frame before the visit).
See below for details.
Visitors to UC Davis Medical Center are considered fully vaccinated when:
- they have received their third dose (a “booster” dose) of one of the two-dose mRNA vaccines (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna); OR
- they have received their second dose (a “booster” dose) for the single-dose Johnson and Johnson/J&J/Janssen vaccine. If you received the Johnson and Johnson vaccine as your original COVID-19 vaccine, your second (“booster”) dose can be:
- another dose of Johnson and Johnson; OR
- a dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine or the Moderna vaccine.
- Completed COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or World Health Organization Yellow Card) which includes the vaccinated person's name, vaccine type, and date of last dose; OR
- A print or digital copy of a completed Vaccination Record Card; OR
- Documentation of COVID-19 vaccination from a health care provider; OR
- A digital record that includes a QR code that when scanned by a SMART Health Card reader displays the client’s name, date of birth, vaccine dates, and vaccine type.
If you cannot find your proof of vaccination, the state health department's vaccine record portal website may be helpful.
Visitors who are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Visitors may use either PCR or antigen testing.
The negative test must have be taken:
- in the last 24 hours before visiting if it is an antigen test (store-purchased or otherwise); OR
- in the last 48 hours if it is a PCR test (usually completed by professional laboratories).
Repeat visitors who aren’t fully vaccinated will need to show a new negative test every 72 hours (if they have already met the testing requirement during a prior visit within the 72-hour period).
Any PCR or antigen test used must either:
- have Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; OR
- be operating per the Laboratory Developed Test requirements by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Over-the-counter/at-home COVID-19 tests, such as BinaxNOW, can be accepted for proof of negative COVID-19 testing.
Sacramento County has an online resource for testing locations and information.
2. Screening survey and check-in are required before entering
Visitors will be screened and welcomed between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Visitors must check in at the Guest Relations desk in the lobby, where they will be given a visitor badge.
Please complete the online screening survey before approaching the Guest Relations desk with the required proof of vaccination or negative test documents.
3. Masking requirements are still in effect
Visitors will be provided a hospital-grade mask that they are required to wear. Cloth masks are not allowed.
Masks must cover both the nose and mouth for the entire length of the visit, or visitors will be asked to wait outside.
4. Visitors with COVID, or COVID symptoms, are not allowed
In all cases, visitors are only allowed if they do not have symptoms of illness (such as fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath).
Visitors and caregivers who are COVID-positive are not allowed. This includes parents and guardians.
5. Visitors are generally not allowed for COVID patients
Visitors are generally not allowed for COVID-positive patients during the 10-day quarantine period. except for specific circumstances listed below:
- Visitors are generally not permitted for adult COVID-positive patients during the 10-day quarantine period.
- Adult COVID-positive patients at end-of-life or having physical, intellectual, cognitive and/or developmental disabilities, may have one support person (who is determined essential to care or deemed medically necessary), stay and quarantine with the patient, so long as the support person does not leave the room.
- Obstetrical/Postpartum and Labor and Delivery COVID-positive patients may have one support person stay and quarantine with the patient, so long as the support person does not leave the room.
- For pediatric COVID-19-positive patients: One asymptomatic parent/legal guardian may stay and quarantine in the patient’s room, so long as the parent/guardian has no more than mild COVID-19 symptoms. If a parent/guardian does leave the room, they can no longer stay with the child. (Meals will be provided.)
Patients in the NICU: If parents/guardians are COVID-19 positive or have any symptoms of illness, they are not permitted to enter the NICU. One caregiver will be able to visit as long as they are not from the same household with the COVID-19 positive parents/guardians.
In any of these scenarios, visitors will be screened for flu-like symptoms, i.e. fever, cough, sore throat. Visitors are required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth for the entire time and length of the visit.
Note: These visitor policies are subject to change at any time.
6. The number of visitors allowed per patient is limited
The number of visitors can vary based on location. See below.
Two visitors are allowed to visit a patient in the hospital, and visitors will be able to rotate with other family members or friends. There is not a limit on the number of visitors who can visit; however, only 2 visitors per patient will be allowed inside the hospital at a time. Visitors are still required to show proof of vaccine (with booster, if eligible) or a negative COVID test result.
Visitors under the age of 16 are generally not permitted.
Note: These visitor policies are subject to change at any time.
- Emergency Department patients can have one designated visitor (with no symptoms of illness) at the bedside. This visitor can rotate with a different (designated) visitor once every 24 hours.
- For pediatric patients, two parents/legal guardians are allowed, and must remain at the patient's bedside.
- No visitors are allowed under the age of 18.
- Patients admitted or in the Admission Pathway or North 1 Unit may visit from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Note: These visitor policies are subject to change at any time.
- For surgical patients whose visitors use the Main Pavilion Surgical Waiting Room (3rd floor) or the Same Day Surgery Waiting Room, each patient may have two adult visitors. Rare exceptions may be made to have one visitor in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for a short period of time (10 minutes).
- For pediatric surgical patients whose visitors use the Children’s Surgery Center Surgical Waiting Room (2nd floor), each patient may have two adult visitors. Rare exceptions may be made based on the limited ability to have visitors in the Children's Surgery Center's Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for short periods of time.
In pediatrics units and the PICU:
- Each patient can have 4 total visitors. This includes parents. Only 2 visitors may be at the bedside at any given time. The name of all 4 visitors names must be entered into a visitor management order. Visitors must be 16 years and older, and must be fully vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19.
- The two visitors are generally allowed to stay in the hospital 24/7.
- If the child patient is COVID positive, then only one visitor may stay 24/7 (for more information, see Section #5 on this page, which is titled "Visitors are generally not allowed for COVID patients").
In the NICU:
- Visitors must wear N95 masks.
- Visitors who are not fully vaccinated must test every two days.
Note: These visitor policies are subject to change at any time.
- Labor and Delivery patients may have up to two support persons/partners, depending on the situation.
- If desired, one preapproved doula can also be present if prior arrangements have been made with the hospital and the doula follows hospital personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection-control guidelines. View our birth center visitor page for more information. Call the University Birthing Suites at 916-703-3030 to begin the doula preapproval process.
Patients who are at the end of life may have two loved ones at a time at the bedside, and may rotate additional loved ones on the designated visitor list.
Patients who have an appointment at UC Davis ambulatory clinics, UC Davis Cancer Center, laboratory, or radiology may have one support person with them. There may be some exceptions in limited pediatric situations, or when another person is needed as part of the patient’s care team.
(These facilities usually serve outpatients, but may still be located on the medical center's Sacramento campus).
Masking policies will be in place for the entire time and length of the visit.
View our policy for outpatient visitors/caregivers at UC Davis Health clinics
7. Visitors must stay in patient rooms
Visitors must stay in the room with the patient during the entire visit.
Visitors may briefly access the cafeteria, while practicing social distancing and keeping time spent in public spaces brief.
8. Patient drop-offs and pick-ups
When dropping off patients for procedures or admissions, and picking up patients after they are discharged from the hospital:
- If there is no proof of vaccination for visitors or drivers, patients will be received at the front door for admission and brought outside for discharge.
9. Limited exceptions to vaccination and testing requirements
The state of California allows four exemptions to the vaccination or negative test requirement:
- Visitors who are visiting a patient in critical condition when death may be imminent.
- In emergency situations, parent or guardian visitors of pediatric patients. (This is subject to other policies about the number of visitors allowed in different situations, as outlined above on this page).
- In emergency situations, a support person for a labor and delivery patient. See our labor and delivery visitor policies
- In emergency situations, a support person for a patient with physical, intellectual, developmental disability, or cognitive impairment.
For any visits following the emergency situation, and as soon as reasonably possible, visitors who enter under one of the above exemptions must comply with the vaccine verification or proof of a negative test within 72 hours of presenting the test result.
At UC Davis Medical Center, visitors who enter under one of the above exemptions must also wear an N95 respirator during their visit if they do not have proof of full vaccination. In these cases an N95 respirator will be issued upon entry.
10. Alternatives to in-person visiting
- Call the patient on a cell phone
- Use video calling services like FaceTime or Skype
- Use instant messaging services like Facebook Messenger or Snapchat
- Call the patient’s room through the main hospital switchboard at 916-734-2011.
UC Davis Health can provide an iPad for a patient to video call loved ones (via Zoom or other digital platforms).
More coronavirus information
Our goal in introducing these visitor restrictions is to protect you, your loved ones, other patients in the hospital and our staff. Patient and public safety are always our top priorities. Thank you again for your understanding during this difficult time.
For more information about how to stay safe during the pandemic, please visit our coronavirus information and resources page.