For the first time in its history Barton Memorial Hospital is restricting who can visit patients.

It all has to do with swine flu.

“The purpose of this new policy is to protect patients and staff from exposure to the illness and to conserve the supply of masks,” a press release states.

No longer can people under the age of 16 visit patients in the South Lake Tahoe hospital. Anyone younger is restricted to the waiting room of the Emergency Department and the waiting room of the hospital’s front lobby and must be under adult supervision.

This restricted visitation policy is in affect until further notice.

Barton is not the first hospital to implement restrictions on visitors.

Since April, three patients at Barton have been diagnosed with H1N1.