Dublin's Rotunda Hospital is to extend visiting hours for maternity partners.
The restrictions will ease to allow twice as much access for nominated companions at evenings and weekends.
Visiting in the evenings will be from 4pm till 8pm, and from 1pm till 8pm at weekends.
The hospital says this is due to falling infection rates among patients, mirroring what's happening in the general community.
Master of the Rotunda, Professor Fergal Malone, says the changes are across all classes of patients.
"It will include anti-natal wards, post-natal wards and indeed for our gynecology patients.
"So any of our in-patients in the hospital at the moment will have a much improved visiting options".
And he says the feedback they've received is that patients felt safe at the hospital.
"We've had a huge amount of significantly positive feedback from patients who felt safe, who feel safe when they came into the Rotunda.
"They realise that we take infection control seriously.
"Patients, on the one hand, have been most appreciative of the sense of safety and security - on the other hand, we're very sensitive to the fact that patients need support from their companions".
