Area hospitals are monitoring the developing coronavirus and are taking precautions when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus to patients.

Hospitals in the area like St. Elizabeth's Youngstown and Boardman, St. Josephs Warren, Trumbull Memorial Hospital and Sharon Regional Hospital say they are aware of the threat that COVID-19 presents to patients and want to keep them protected.

Steward Health Care, which operates Trumbull Memorial Hospital and Sharon Regional Hospital, is restricting children age 12 and under who are not seeking medical treatment from visiting any Steward hospitals until further notice.

In a statement from Trumbull Regional Medical Center, "Any person older than age 12 who feels sick and is not seeking care is asked to avoid visiting hospitals or other health care facilities for the protection of patients, hospital staff, and the broader community."

"As we continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19 across the United States, Trumbull Regional Medical Center remains focused on doing all we can to protect our employees, patients and the community we serve," said Marketing Director for Trumbull Regional Medical Center, Alexa Hall. 

Hall also said patients could be given a questionnaire asking about recent travel to determine if the patient was at risk of being exposed to the coronavirus.

Mercy Health operated hospitals are monitoring the statewide situation and will make further decisions based on advisory from state officials.

"As the Ohio Department of Health and the CDC continue to monitor COVID-19 across the state, we will continue to be aligned with the updates from officials as they come regarding the virus," said Jonathan Fauvie, public relations, and communications manager at Mercy Health.

Local hospitals have taken note of the recent announcement by the Allegheny Health Network (AHN), implementing new temporary restrictions on patient visitation at its hospitals to protect patients and caregivers from COVID-19.

The new policy will limit the number of visitors for a patient to one at a time in any patient's hospital room.

AHN is also asking that individuals who may be sick themselves not to visit the hospital unless they are seeking medical treatment.

Many hospitals in the area, including those operated by Mercy Health and Steward Health Care, implement flu precaution visitor restriction in which people with symptoms of illness are encouraged not to visit loved ones if they are experiencing flu-like symptoms.

Flu-like symptoms could include fever, cough, sore throat, and body aches.

Currently, the only way to get tested for coronavirus is through a healthcare professional's order. 

Ohio officials said Saturday, those most at risk for contracting the virus include the elderly, people with preexisting health conditions, people with compromised immune systems, and healthcare workers.

Those with questions on COVID-19 can visit www.CDC.gov or, call 1-833-4ASKODH (1-833-427-5634).