The third floor at South Shore Regional Hospital has been temporarily closed to visitors because of a gastrointestinal illness circulating among patients. The medical and surgical unit will be restricted to visitors until further notice. Infection prevention practitioner, Sheila Lee, says they've seen a spike in illness from two patients to nine over the past 12 hours. She says there's no timeline for the visitor restriction.Some exceptions to the restriction may apply for immediate family of critically ill patients. All outpatient hospital services are available. The health authority says thorough hand washing can help prevent the spread of this illness.