Morris Hospital administrators implemented visitor restrictions in the hospital on Tuesday, effective until the influenza, or flu, season settles down a bit.

The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a recommendation that hospitals in the state implement the restrictions, according to Morris Hospital spokesperson Janet Long, due to the widespread nature of the flu this year.

Long said the hospital’s two immediate care centers — in Morris and Channahon — and the emergency room in the main hospital in Morris have been seeing much higher volumes of patients beginning the last week in December.