Hospitals around the Valley are trying to keep the spread of the H1N1 virus to a minimum by keeping those who are susceptible away.

Visitation restrictions for children under the age of 18 at Rockingham Memorial Hospital begin Monday. Hospital officials will also limit adult visits to two per patient.

RMH spokeswoman Deborah Thompson says these new guidelines are in place to protect everyone in the hospital, as well as prevent the spread of the virus outside of the hospital.

"The vaccine is not getting distributed as quickly as we thought that it would. So people are not getting immunized at a timely fashion, so it's really important for us to take every measure as we can to keep as many people as healthy as possible," says Thompson.

Similar restrictions go into effect at Winchester Medical Center Tuesday, and it will cut back visiting hours to just four visits per day.

Restrictions at Augusta Health are already in effect.