LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- Starting today, children 12 and under will not be allowed to visit Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend and University District, as well as Cottage Grove Community Hospital.

Sacred Heart officials say this is due to an increase in local H1N1 flu activity. The restriction does not apply to patients 12 and under who have come to the hospitals for medical care.

Additional visitor restrictions also remain in place at Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in the following units: Labor & Delivery, Mother/Baby, Pediatrics and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Visitors to these units are restricted to two adult support people. The patient's two support people must be healthy and not show any symptoms of flu.