Hospital Visitors Required to Show Proof of Vaccination

Unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated individuals must show proof of negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before each visit. This is a California State Public Health Office mandate effective Wednesday, August 11, 2021, that Tahoe Forest Health System is required to follow. 

The State of California Public Health Office issued an order that general acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities must either verify that visitors are fully vaccinated, or for unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated visitors, show documentation of a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of each visit.

This state mandate will be valid at Tahoe Forest Hospital effective Wednesday, August 11, 2021. This order applies to indoor visitation and Tahoe Forest Hospital is required to follow it in accordance with this mandated state order.

Per this statewide order, visitors must provide the following:  

• Verification of being fully vaccinated, or
• For unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated visitors, verification of documentation of a negative SARS-CoV test within the last 72 hours

Per the California Department of Public Health for Vaccine Records Guidelines and Standards, only the following modes may be used as proof of vaccination:

1. COVID-19 Record Card (issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or WHO Yellow Card) which includes name of person vaccinated, type of vaccine provided, and date last does administer); or
2. A photo of a Vaccination Record Card as a separate document; or
3. A photo of the client’s Vaccination Record Card stored on a phone or electronic device; or
4. Digital record that includes a QR code that when scanned by a SMART Health Card reader displays to the reader client name, date of birth, vaccine dates and vaccine type.
5. Effective 8-11-2021 visiting hours at Tahoe Forest Hospital will be limited from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. 

Patients and visitors entering Tahoe Forest Hospital and Incline Village Community Hospital will be provided a surgical face mask to wear while in the hospitals.

Tahoe Forest Hospital will be limiting the number of visitors in the Inpatient Units and Emergency Department. One visitor will be allowed as guardians accompanying minors or those support persons determined to be essential to facilitating care for Diagnostic Imaging and Laboratory patients. All individuals are required to wear masks provided by our hospital staff when entering the hospital.

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant challenge in California, where it is experiencing the fastest increase in positive COVID-19 cases during the entire pandemic, with 18.3 new cases per 100,000 people per day, with case rates increasing ninefold within the past two months. The Delta variant, which is highly contagious and more virulent, is currently the most common variant using new infections in California.

To schedule a vaccine appointment, please visit https://myturn.ca.gov/.